NEW YORK, September 26. /TASS/. Ukraine recognizes that the deliveries of US Abrams tanks are unlikely to 'significantly change' the situation on the battlefield, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing Ukrainian officials.
According to the newspaper's sources, the Ukrainian counteroffensive has been going on for four months, and Kiev doubts that the new equipment will be able to turn the situation around. The newspaper said the US Department of Defense has repeatedly warned that no weapons will be able to change the course of hostilities due to the complexity of the conflict.
The Wall Street Journal noted that the situation on the battlefield may also be complicated by the onset of the fall rainy season, which will make it more difficult for heavy armored vehicles to maneuver.
On September 25, the New York Times reported that the first batch of Abrams tanks had arrived in Ukraine ahead of schedule. The newspaper’s sources did not specify how many Abrams tanks had been delivered to Ukraine at that time. The rest of the 31 Abrams tanks promised by the US administration will arrive in Ukraine in the next few months, the newspaper added. According to it, Kiev has requested at least 300 Western tanks for the counteroffensive, but has so far received about half of them.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky later confirmed that the Abrams tanks had been delivered to Ukraine.