Billions in new military aid will bolster Ukrainian forces as they ready for a spring offensive, but defense leaders meeting in Germany failed to reach an agreement on sending more modern tanks to the war-torn country, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said.
Western allies including Poland and Germany remain in a standoff as Ukraine asks for tanks to aid in the fight against Russia in eastern Ukraine.WASHINGTON – Billions in new military aid will bolster Ukrainian forces as they ready for a spring offensive, but defense leaders meeting in Germany failed to reach an agreement on sending more modern tanks to the war-torn country, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Friday.
Germany has not yet made a decision on sending Leopard tanks, Austin said. Austin declined to say if he was disappointed by Germany not sending the tanks but described the country as a"reliable ally," noting it has provided air defense systems and armored personnel carriers.Ukrainian forces need armored vehicles, especially tanks, to dislodge dug-in Russian forces in the eastern part of the country.
The latest news as Russian president Vladimir Putin could soon decide to escalate the crisis at the Ukraine-Russia border and invade Ukraine. U.S. and western allies have shed some of their resistance to providing advanced weaponry to Ukraine since the Russian invasion last year. Fears that Russia would retaliate by striking a NATO country or resort to tactical nuclear weapons have not been realized.
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