Australia sent decommissioned Abrams tanks to Ukraine: criticized in the US

The Australian government has sent a batch of decommissioned Abrams tanks to Ukraine. Some American officials remain unhappy with the decision, believing it will be difficult to maintain the tanks on the battlefield, ABC reports.

During a meeting in Rome tonight, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for transferring a batch of used Abrams M1A1 tanks to Kyiv.

The sources confirmed to the publication that the process of loading the first of 49 vehicles onto a cargo ship began recently, but the government will not discuss their current location or expected date of arrival in Europe for security reasons.

Before the shipment, Australia had received permission from Washington to export American-made tanks to a third country. However, despite the permission being granted, some US officials remained secretly unhappy with the decision.

"Last year, even before US President Donald Trump returned to office, we warned the Australians that sending these tanks would be difficult, and once they finally got to the battlefield, it would be difficult for the Ukrainians to sustain them," said one US official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

In April, an Australian Defense Department spokesman said there were concerns that sending large tanks to Ukraine was not the best way to provide military assistance to the war-torn country.

"We are beginning to doubt whether the Ukrainians really want these vehicles. The tank's roof is the Abrams' weakest point, and this is a drone war," the official said.

Defense Secretary Richard Marles declined to say whether American officials had raised any concerns about this shipment of decommissioned tanks.

"We are working very closely with Ukraine, very closely with the United States, to see how this shipment goes and to get the tanks on the way," he told reporters in Melbourne.

"The first tranche has been on the way for some time, but I'm not going to go into specific details," Marles said.

• On July 12, 2024, it became known that the Australian government had decided to provide Ukraine with $250 million in military aid – the country's largest contribution since Russia's full-scale invasion.
• On October 16, it was reported that Australia would provide Ukraine with 49 Abrams tanks.