The Pentagon said that the supply of Abrams tanks is part of a “long-term commitment” to Ukraine

Journalists asked why the United States changed its mind and decided to transfer tanks to Ukraine, although they had previously rejected this possibility. Singh said that in general the US position has not changed – they still believe that it will not be easy to maintain and maintain these tanks, but after the last meeting of the contact group in the Ramstein format, the US leadership felt that it “should provide Ukraine with a long-term commitment “.

She said she did not consider the battalion of Abrams tanks that the US promised Ukraine to be just a “symbolic gesture” to unlock tank deliveries to Kyiv by other allies.

“I don’t think the battalion Abrams – it’s simple symbol. This is a real opportunity that will certainly give Ukraine an edge on the battlefield.” a Pentagon spokeswoman said.

Journalists clarified what Singh means by “long-term obligations” to Ukraine.

“The long-term commitment is that we don’t know when this war will end… The war could end tomorrow if [президент России] Vladimir Putin will make such a decision. But it doesn’t look like he’s going to make that decision. So this work could go on until the end of the year, it could go on for many years… So giving these Abrams through the package after demonstrates a long-term commitment to Ukraine,” Singh said.

She also confirmed that the United States will transfer the M1A2 model Abrams to Ukraine (the media wrote that this is an export modification of the Abrams tanks, but they will not have “secret armor”; a Pentagon spokeswoman at a briefing this information comment refused). Answering the question why the supply of tanks to Ukraine by America will take longer than deliveries by European countries, Singh said that the United States “simply does not have these Abrams in stock to give to the Ukrainians,” so the American authorities are “looking for them and buying new ones.”

Pentagon spokeswoman noted that the department is serious about the threats of the Russian Federation regarding the supply of battle tanks, however does not consider it an escalation war.

A spokeswoman for the US Department of Defense also assured that the US “will continue to provide Ukraine with everything necessary in the short and long term,” but did not specify what could be included in the new aid packages, in particular, whether they will include F-16 fighters.

“You know, we’re not going to take anything off the table… As far as what’s next, I’m not going to get ahead of any package that hasn’t been announced, or any decision by the president or minister. But our commitment to Ukraine, like you have seen, remains quite strong,” she said.