The United Kingdom earlier this month became the first
Western power to announce it would include tanks in its aid to Ukraine,
and a weekend meeting of more than 50 defense officials in Berlin failed to settle whether German-made Leopard 2 battle tanks would join them.
The German tanks are currently held by Poland, which wants to supply them to Ukraine but needs German permission
to transfer them to a third party. Poland's prime minister said Monday
the formal request has been made, but he also called it "a secondary
issue," telling reporters that even without"permission, then, despite that, we'd transfer our tanks to Ukraine." (Berlin has said it "would not stand in the way" of the request.)
This delayed decision has fueled discussion of possible U.S. provision
of tanks, too. Here's the state—and stakes—of that debate:
The Biden team against it, so far
- National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan reportedly "read the riot
act" to Berlin for delaying transfer of its Leopard tanks—though U.S.
Abrams tanks won't be likewise transferred. [The Telegraph / Roland Oliphant]
- "Ukraine is going to get all the help they need," President Joe
Biden told reporters over the weekend, a remark widely interpreted to
mean the newest round of U.S. aid is adequate without tanks. [The Guardian]
- Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin similarly said the latest aid
package is "very, very capable" as-is and "will enable [Kyiv] to be
successful" if it is "employed properly." He commended the U.K. for
sending tanks. [DoD]
- U.S. officials and experts have argued the German-made vehicles
will be operational sooner than Abrams tanks because they're simpler and
require less training. [Politico / Paul McLeary and Lili Bayer]
Not everyone in Washington agrees
- Some U.S. lawmakers have pushed the Biden administration to send
Abrams tanks, even if only a few, to encourage European countries to
follow suit. [Politico / David Cohen]
- Sen. Lindsey Graham announced himself "tired of the s*** show
surrounding who is going to send tanks" and said the U.S. should send
them because "[w]orld order is at stake." [Twitter]
This isn't just about tanks
- The Stimson Center's Emma Ashford argued has the tanks discussion
is "a proxy debate about how unlimited or limited support for Ukraine
should be going forward." [Twitter]
- "If the U.S.-Ukraine relationship is to continue as is, we need
transparent documentation of how U.S. aid is used, a consistent effort
to facilitate diplomacy, and serious consideration of when and why the
U.S. role might have to change." [Reason / Bonnie Kristian]
- Washington should seriously consider its strategic goals in
Ukraine. Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said Thursday the
U.S. supports Ukrainian efforts to retake Crimea. [DoD]
- But Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Mark Milley warned the next day
that "[f]rom a military standpoint, I still maintain that for this year
it would be very, very difficult to militarily eject the Russian forces
from ... every inch of Russian-occupied Ukraine." [DoD]
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