US to start training Ukrainians on Abrams tanks ‘relatively soon’

U.S. forces will start training Ukrainian troops on M1A1 Abrams tanks “relatively soon,” a senior defense official told reporters on Tuesday. 

They said training has not yet begun as military officials are still working on getting the needed equipment but “would expect that that will happen relatively soon.” 

The official also said that the latest $2.6 billion military aid package, announced earlier in the day, would include 120 mm tank ammunition to “support Ukraine’s newly formed armored tank battalions as well as Abrams tanks that the United States has committed.” 

The United States last month said it plans to send 31 M1A1 tanks from Army stocks to Ukraine by this fall. That comes after Washington’s announcement it would provide Ukraine with the advanced tanks after pleas from Kyiv for the vehicles.   

The U.S. initially refused to send the Abrams, arguing the weapon was too complicated and costly for Ukraine to maintain and repair on the battlefield. Biden administration officials eventually relented for a political agreement with Germany, in which Berlin would greenlight its Leopard 2 tanks to be sent to the country.  

With so much new equipment flowing into Ukraine, the United States and its partners have worked to train large numbers of Ukrainian troops quickly. 

The Pentagon last week revealed that the U.S. military have trained more than 7,000 Ukrainian troops since Russia first attacked the country last year – with more than 11,000 Ukrainian soldiers currently being trained by the U.S. and its coalition partners across 26 different countries.   

Those numbers included 65 Ukrainians who completed training on the Patriot air defense system at Fort Sill, Okla., and have returned to Europe. 

On Tuesday the senior official said the war is at an “important stage,” with officials focused on “supporting the Ukrainians to change the dynamic on the ground.” 

“We want to help Ukraine advance and hold its positions in what we expect will be a Ukrainian counteroffensive,” they added.