Biden announces U.S. will send 31 Abrams tanks to Ukraine

NBC News ^ | January 25th, 2023 | Caroline Kenny and Summer Concepcion

[shadowlands1960]

The decision to move forward with providing the tanks marks a reversal for the Biden administration, which had been resisting pressure from Germany to send them to Ukraine.

President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced that the United States is sending 31 Abrams tanks to Ukraine in its war against Russia.

The U.S. will also provide the necessary training and supplies needed to operate and run these tanks, he said.

NBC News reported the development Tuesday.

The president said sending the tanks will "enhance Ukraine’s capacity to defend its territory and achieve its strategic objectives" because they are "the most capable tanks in the world.”

"That’s what this is about — helping Ukraine defend and protect Ukrainian land. It is not an offensive threat to Russia, there is no offensive threat to Russia," the president said.

During a background call previewing Biden’s remarks, senior administration officials said the announcement is “very much a continuation of our effort to provide Ukraine with the capabilities that they need to continue to better defend themselves.”

“And it’s also in keeping with that representative of a long term, long term commitment that we have to Ukraine’s defense needs,” a senior administration official said.

[Mouton]

How about he goes with them and does a Dukakis.

[TheBattman]

Regardless of our view on US support for Ukraine - I want to ask a very practical question -

Why? Gas-turbine tanks consume FAR more fuel than any other model in the world - that requires FAR more support structure and supplies, and that will also require many months of training, both for tank crews and an army of support and logistics crews.

And of course - a rather odd number - 31?

[cableguymn]

is one named Stacy?

[Grampa Dave]

A Day Late And $113 Billion Short, New York Times Acknowledges Ukraine As A Broken And Corrupt Nation
The Federalist ^ | JANUARY 24, 2023 | EDDIE SCARRY
Posted on 1/25/2023, 9:33:27 AM by Kazan

It’s apparently safe now to make the obvious point that Ukraine is run by fiends and so maybe dumping American taxpayer dollars on the corrupt little nation without any strings attached was a little hasty.

Maybe we’re getting ahead of ourselves, but The New York Times on Tuesday did take time to report the slew of firings and forced resignations of top Ukrainian government officials, a push by President Volodymyr Zelensky(yyy), for the purpose of “reassuring Ukraine’s allies — which are sending billions of dollars in military aid — that his government would show zero tolerance for graft…”

Well, that was kind of him. Maybe now Democrats and even idiot Republicans will stop countering every question about our involvement with Ukraine by declaring their critics to be Pervs for Putin.

The war-loving romantics of Congress haven’t seen a dollar they wouldn’t like to send to Ukraine, even as it’s been rated by foreign aid nonprofits and humanitarian organizations as one of Europe’s most crooked countries for years, over and over.

The firings and resignations substantively mean very little. Zelensky’s administration released no explanation for them, nor are there any official details about specific evidence of corruption, other than that one of Zelensky’s deputies rode around town in a General Motors-donated SUV that was supposed to be for “humanitarian missions” (rather than, say, for attending a Vogue cover photoshoot). There’s also something about using government funds — that is to say, U.S. taxpayer dollars — to buy eggs at an inflated price, raising the grave question: Why were they shopping for eggs in America?

Over the course of nearly a year, the U.S. has spent $113 billion on Ukraine and counting. Every step of the way, anyone with a question about why or for whom or to what end has been shouted down as a Putin sympathizer or dismissed as anti-democracy. And then Zelensky shows up to tell us we’re not doing enough.

At least the Times has come around to acknowledging that Ukraine isn’t the squeaky clean operation that the White House, most of Congress, and all of the corporate media insist that it is. Maybe next we’ll be allowed to openly state that Ukraine and NATO were antagonizers of this war, and funding it indefinitely is probably doing more harm than good.

[Delta 21]

When you give your snotty nosed brat a new corvette for graduation they never grow up to appreciate anything.

What a waste of fine military hardware. Just give them a few ICBMs dressed up like M-1 tanks, eh?

TREADHEAD ping.

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Up To 50 M1 Abrams Tanks
Could Be Headed To Ukraine: Reports (Updated)

[shadowlands1960]

heh

[amorphous]

This deliberate and wholly unnecessary slow-walk into WWIII is utterly insane.

"... see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen ..."

Apologies for the bible quotes - it's the only thing that explains the insanity.

[Delta 21]

On The Way !

[TheBattman]

They can’t? Hmmm... wonder what an M1 would sell for in bitcoin? Might be more lucrative than you think.

[mrmeyer]

The United States taxpayers

[LachlanMinnesota]

It did not occur in a vacuum...

On the surface, according to the press, it is black and white. The reality is much different.

Putin = evil. Ukraine did nothing to generate conflict. Therefore, we must be for Freedom and patriotism without looking too closely at the origins of the conflict.

That will come in twenty years on late-night documentaries...

[subterfuge]

Where are all the liberals screaming about peace, peace, peace!!!?

[TheBattman]

There is actually a whole lot of truth to your reply.

[Grampa Dave]

They can perhaps hire Taliban crews...

The Afghans should be very familiar with these tanks by now!

[Delta 21]

They can learn to tighten their own end connecters fix their own thrown tracks!

[9422WMR]

I don’t think the Chinese follow along either.

[kabar]

Burisma.

[Captain Peter Blood]

And where are the support crews coming from to maintain the tanks. These modern tanks are very complicated so does that mean we will be sending support personnel to keep them going?

[chuckb87]

“I don’t know if Russia will lose but it’s definitely thinning out their military.”

And wasting our tax dollars and military stockpiles. I guess the lack of military equipment isn’t a big deal since all the smart ones have left. The only “active duty” people are quadruple vaxxed queers and trannies.

[thinden]

Who will maintain them, train the crews, and provide logistics?

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

did joey bags come up with this idea on his own???

MOS in track mechanic, tank crew & operator takes 12-15 weeks of advanced training.

how many qualified track trainers are running around in the Uke looking for a side gig these days?