Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said time is running out to provide Ukraine with the advanced weapons it needs ahead of an expected Russian offensive in the spring as both the US and Germany refuse Kyiv's requests for their mightiest battle tanks..
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Austin said Allied officials meeting in Germany on Friday agreed to ensure that Ukraine receives the necessary weapons and training for their proper use.. He tried to reduce any disagreement over whether to supply tanks, a key demand as Ukraine seeks to overwhelm Russian forces in the east..
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“We have a window of opportunity here from today until spring, when they would launch their operation, their counteroffensive, and it won’t be long,” Austin said of Russia’s intentions.. "
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Austin spoke after a meeting of the Ukrainian Defense Contact Group, a U.S.-convened meeting of defense ministers that announced big new weapons commitments, including an additional $2.5 billion for Bradley combat vehicles, Stryker vehicles and other equipment from U.S. depots.. But the meeting, which was meant to emphasize Allied unity, was overshadowed by Germany's persistent refusal to provide its Leopard 2 tank..
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The US claims that there are enough Leopards and it can quickly reach Ukraine. but German officials said they were unwilling to move without similar obligations from other states. At the same time, the US is countering Ukrainian requests for the M1 Abrams tank, which the Biden administration claims is an expensive gas sink that would be too hard to maintain and deliver on the Ukrainian battlefield..
Although German officials said they had not yet made a decision on sending the Leopards, they signaled that Ukraine could finally get what it wants.. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that the country will allow other states to train the Ukrainian military on the Leopard.
German tanks stuck in Kyiv as US counters sending its.
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The constant denial met with increasing frustration among Ukrainian officials.
“It seems that we are always a couple of steps behind, but should be a couple of steps ahead,” said Yuriy Sak, adviser to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, in an interview with Bloomberg Television for the Balance of Power.. “If the Allies don’t give us these tanks, the day may come when they will have to use them themselves.”.
Speaking alongside Austin on Friday, U.S. Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley noted the successful operations of the Ukrainian forces and said "
Praising Germany as a reliable ally, Austin said "