United States Department of Defense Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh stated on Thursday during a press briefing that Washington is using the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) to supply Kiev with Abrams tanks as they are not "available in excess in our US stocks."
Singh explained that as Washington wants to provide Kiev with new Abrams tanks, more specifically the advanced M1A2 variant, the procurement has to go through USAI and it will take months before they are delivered. She further reiterated that these tanks will also "require training, maintenance and sustainment."
Singh noted that such military equipment is not "symbolic," underlining that this "is a real capability that will certainly give Ukraine an upper edge on the battlefield."
