President Joe Biden announced Wednesday that the United States will be sending 31 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, partially reversing a position he held last year when he said such a move would help instigate “World War III.”
“The idea that we’re going to send in offensive equipment and have planes and tanks and trains going in with American pilots and American crews — just understand, don’t kid yourself, no matter what y’all say, that’s called World War III,” Biden told a gathering of House Democrats in Philadelphia in March, 2022, per the New York Post.
US President Biden declared on Wednesday that “the United States will be sending 31 Abrams tanks to Ukraine”.
In March 2022 he compared the idea of sending ‘offensive equipment’ for Ukraine to “World War 3”. pic.twitter.com/HKaHyc3l88
— In Context (@incontextmedia) January 26, 2023
After weeks of negotiations with European allies, Biden has decided to “enhance Ukraine’s capacity to defend its territory and achieve its strategic objectives,” according to NBC News. In addition to the tanks, the U.S. will provide training and supplies needed for their operation. It is unclear, however, whether American crews will be involved as well.
“That’s what this is about — helping Ukraine defend and protect Ukrainian land. It is not an offensive threat to Russia, there is no offensive threat to Russia,” Biden insisted, per the outlet. (RELATED: Biden Approved Tank Transfer Despite Pentagon’s Plea To Limit Support For Ukraine)
Prior to Biden’s announcement, Germany announced plans to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, NPR reported. The president maintained that Germany’s decision did not impact his own. “Germany didn’t force me to change my mind. We wanted to make sure we were all together. That’s what we were going to do all along,” Biden stated.
Despite concerns that this move is just the latest push towards a direct conflict with Russia, Biden and other European leaders believe that the threat posed by Russian Vladimir Putin is diminishing, according to the New York Times.
A representative for Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told NBC News it was “now clear Russia was on the backfoot,” providing a “window for international partners to accelerate efforts to secure lasting peace for Ukraine,” NBC News reported.
“As we approach the one-year mark with the Russia full-scale invasion of Ukraine, we remain united and determined as ever in our conviction and our cause. These tanks are further evidence of our enduring, unflagging commitment to Ukraine and our confidence in the skill of the Ukrainian forces,” Biden stated per the outlet.