Ramstein [Germany], April 23:US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Friday that the US plans to deliver Abrams tanks to Germany in the coming weeks to train Ukrainian soldiers. Austin was meeting Western allies of the Ukraine Contact Group at the US military air base of Ramstein in Germany, with arms deliveries to Ukraine being the focus.
The training, which had previously been reported on by US media but was confirmed by Austin, is to take place at the military training area of Grafenwoehr in southern Germany. Reports said it is set to last around ten weeks, with about 250 Ukrainian soldiers set to be trained. US Chief of Staff Mark Milley, also in Ramstein, said that training tanks no longer suitable for combat will be delivered first. The Abrams tanks intended for Ukraine are still in the process of being repaired.
Austin said that the delivery of the tanks had been expedited. The Pentagon recently announced that the tanks would only be delivered in the autumn. The long-awaited decision to send 31 US tanks to Ukraine was made in January, in conjunction with Germany's drawn-out decision on whether or not to send Kyiv Leopard main battle tanks. As at the three previous in-person meetings at Ramstein, representatives of non-NATO states also attended. In all, high-profile representatives from around 50 nations were present.
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius also made promises to Ukraine.German Leopard tanks damaged in the Ukraine war are set to be repaired in Poland from now on to ensure their quick return to the front, he said on Friday.
The new repair centre would be coordinated between Warsaw and Kyiv. "This is to ensure that the tanks can be maintained and repaired if necessary - and the demand will increase," said Pistorius. The leaders are to set up a joint fund to finance the project and "fairly share" the annual costs of $164.61 million.The centre will likely begin operations at the end of May, with the first working session on the project will begin next week.
Pistorius said the initiative shows the determination of Ukraine's partners to continue supporting the country in its war with Russia. He also announced that over 100 Ukrainian soldiers would begin training on operating Leopard 1 tanks on Saturday. Latvia said on Friday it would hand over all Stinger anti-aircraft missiles it still has on hand to Ukraine.
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares told Germany's Funke media group that Madrid will deliver six of the 10 Leopard 2 battle tanks it pledged to Ukraine within days. Secretary Austin had rallied Western partners to further support Ukraine during his opening remarks at the meeting earlier on Friday. "Ukraine urgently needs our help to shield its citizens and infrastructure and forces from Russia's missile threat," he said, adding that Ukraine would be supported for as long as necessary.
Ukrainian President VolodymyrZelensky has been pushing his Western allies to supply Ukraine with fighter jets and air defence systems. Ukraine has received Soviet-made MiG-29 fighter jets so far but is looking for Western-designed aircraft such as US-built F-16s. Ukrainian Defence Minister OleksiiReznikov wrote on Twitter on Thursday that acquiring "NATO-style fighter jets" was Ukraine's "top priority." Both Pistorius and NATO Secretary Jens Stoltenberg made it clear at the meeting on Friday that the discussion on further arms deliveries was currently more important than plans for Ukraine to join NATO. "What matters most now is that Ukraine wins," Stoltenberg said in Ramstein. "Because if Ukraine does not assert itself as a sovereign independent nation in Europe, then there is no point in discussing membership." One prerequisite for joining NATO is not being involved in international conflicts.
Zelensky accepted NATO's invitation to attend a summit of the alliance on July 11-12 in Lithuania, said Stoltenberg. The NATO leader promised support for Ukraine's entry into the military alliance during his surprise visit to Kyiv on Thursday. On Friday, Russia criticized Stoltenberg's visit to Kyiv and used it further to justify its war against Ukraine. "NATO is obviously continuing its course of engulfing Ukraine and drawing it into the alliance," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Source: Qatar Tribune