officials said his position has been privately - that he does not see tanks as critical to the current fight in Ukraine and that they can’t be brought on line right away. We’re not going to have anything additional to provide.”Īustin hosted the Ukraine Contact Group at Ramstein, a meeting of nearly 50 nations to discuss aid and contributions to Ukraine.ĭuring public remarks Friday, Austin appeared to allude to what U.S. Patrick Ryder declined to comment on Austin and Milley’s views on the matter, saying in a statement that their comments at Ramstein Air Base in Germany about U.S. On Friday, Pentagon press secretary Brig. officials also noted that Ukraine already has hundreds of tanks at its disposal and over the past year has captured hundreds of Russian tanks on the battlefield and added those to its inventory.

Wojtek Radwanski / AFP - Getty Images file A Polish Leopard tank takes part in a military exercise in Nowogard, Poland, on May 19, 2022.

official said Austin has argued the training to operate and maintain the tanks would take months, and even though the Ukrainians have proven adept at learning many new platforms, he continues to resist sending the Abrams. They also have argued they are not the right vehicles for the fight in Ukraine right now, according to the officials. Milley and Austin have cited how long it takes to train personnel to operate the tanks and how difficult the tanks are to maintain.

What is the military name for a tank