US Changes Policy, Will Send Tanks to Ukraine
2023-01-27
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1United States officials surprised many experts by agreeing to send M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine to fight Russian forces.
2For months, U.S. officials said that it would not be a good idea to send the heavy, complicated war vehicles to Ukraine.
3The big change came after intense negotiations between the U.S. and its allies.
4The talks resulted in the U.S. announcing that it would send 31 Abrams tanks and Germany announcing it would send 14 Leopard 2 tanks.
5Germany said it would also permit other countries to send Leopard tanks to Ukraine.
6At first, Germany had been reluctant to send its Leopard tanks.
7Germany wanted the United States to also send Abrams tanks to avoid being the only target of Russia's anger at the move to arm Ukraine further.
8However, the U.S. had said Germany's Leopards were a better fit for Ukrainian forces.
9Poland wanted to send Leopard tanks to Ukraine but needed permission from Germany, which makes the tanks.
10Speaking of the agreement, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said: "This is the result of intensive consultations, once again, with our allies and international powers."
11Last Friday, military officials from more than 50 countries met at Ramstein Air Base in Germany to discuss the situation in Ukraine.
12Tanks were a big subject.
13Officials from countries with Leopard tanks spoke to the German defense minister.
14Germany's position on the issue began to publicly soften.
15Recently, U.S. President Joe Biden told reporters, "Germany didn't force me to change our mind."
16U.S. officials at first did not recommend sending the Abrams tanks for several reasons.
17The tank is powerful and has been used in both Iraq Wars.
18It has a 120-millimeter gun and a high-technology targeting system.
19The Abrams also has a turbine engine that produces 1,500 horsepower, a very large amount of mechanical power.
20It can travel through snow, mud and almost any terrain. It is also heavily armored.
21But, because it has a "jet" engine, it uses huge amounts of fuel. Kevin Butler, a former Army lieutenant who led an Abrams group, said the tanks need a constant supply of fuel to move forward.
22U.S. officials worried that it would be very difficult for Ukraine to keep the tanks fueled in winter conditions.
23That is because their fuel trucks do not have the same ability the tanks have for going through difficult terrain.
24Colin Kahl is the undersecretary for defense policy at the U.S. Department of Defense.
25He told reporters last week that: "The Abrams tank is a very complicated piece of equipment... it's hard to train on... it is not the easiest system to maintain."
26It will require months of training for Ukrainian forces to use the complex system, to keep it running and fueled.
27When the Abrams tanks will arrive remains unclear. U.S. officials said the process could take "many months."
28The Leopard tanks will arrive sooner.
29Doug Bush, an army supply official, said the U.S. no longer buys new Abrams tanks but repairs existing ones.
30It will take time to prepare the tanks for service.
31 But he said the Ukrainians have shown they can learn new systems quickly.
32National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said: "We want to make sure that they (the tanks) fall on ready hands, and that the Ukrainians know how to use them, they know how to keep them running, and they've got the supply chain in place for spare parts and supplies."
33I'm Dan Friedell.
1United States officials surprised many experts by agreeing to send M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine to fight Russian forces. 2For months, U.S. officials said that it would not be a good idea to send the heavy, complicated war vehicles to Ukraine. 3The big change came after intense negotiations between the U.S. and its allies. The talks resulted in the U.S. announcing that it would send 31 Abrams tanks and Germany announcing it would send 14 Leopard 2 tanks. Germany said it would also permit other countries to send Leopard tanks to Ukraine. 4At first, Germany had been reluctant to send its Leopard tanks. Germany wanted the United States to also send Abrams tanks to avoid being the only target of Russia's anger at the move to arm Ukraine further. 5However, the U.S. had said Germany's Leopards were a better fit for Ukrainian forces. Poland wanted to send Leopard tanks to Ukraine but needed permission from Germany, which makes the tanks. 6Speaking of the agreement, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said: "This is the result of intensive consultations, once again, with our allies and international powers." 7Last Friday, military officials from more than 50 countries met at Ramstein Air Base in Germany to discuss the situation in Ukraine. Tanks were a big subject. Officials from countries with Leopard tanks spoke to the German defense minister. Germany's position on the issue began to publicly soften. 8Recently, U.S. President Joe Biden told reporters, "Germany didn't force me to change our mind." 9Why the U.S. avoided sending tanks 10U.S. officials at first did not recommend sending the Abrams tanks for several reasons. 11The tank is powerful and has been used in both Iraq Wars. It has a 120-millimeter gun and a high-technology targeting system. The Abrams also has a turbine engine that produces 1,500 horsepower, a very large amount of mechanical power. It can travel through snow, mud and almost any terrain. It is also heavily armored. 12But, because it has a "jet" engine, it uses huge amounts of fuel. Kevin Butler, a former Army lieutenant who led an Abrams group, said the tanks need a constant supply of fuel to move forward. 13U.S. officials worried that it would be very difficult for Ukraine to keep the tanks fueled in winter conditions. That is because their fuel trucks do not have the same ability the tanks have for going through difficult terrain. 14Colin Kahl is the undersecretary for defense policy at the U.S. Department of Defense. He told reporters last week that: "The Abrams tank is a very complicated piece of equipment... it's hard to train on... it is not the easiest system to maintain." 15It will require months of training for Ukrainian forces to use the complex system, to keep it running and fueled. 16When the Abrams tanks will arrive remains unclear. U.S. officials said the process could take "many months." The Leopard tanks will arrive sooner. 17Doug Bush, an army supply official, said the U.S. no longer buys new Abrams tanks but repairs existing ones. It will take time to prepare the tanks for service. But he said the Ukrainians have shown they can learn new systems quickly. 18National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said: "We want to make sure that they (the tanks) fall on ready hands, and that the Ukrainians know how to use them, they know how to keep them running, and they've got the supply chain in place for spare parts and supplies." 19I'm Dan Friedell. 20Tara Copp and Lolita Baldor reported this story for the Associated Press. Mario Ritter, Jr. adapted this report for VOA Learning English. 21________________________________________________________________ 22Words in This Story 23reluctant -adj. showing doubt or being unwilling to do something 24consultation -n. a discussion about something that needs to be decided 25terrain -n. a form of land found in an area such as mountainous, flat, river, etc. 26armored -adj. covered with thick metal to protect against gunfire 27supply chain -n. a system for providing supplies 28spare -adj. extra 29______________________________________________________________ 30We want to hear from you. 31We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 32Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.