US will begin training Ukrainian forces in the coming weeks on how to use and maintain Abrams tanks, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said.
Towards the end of a meeting of representatives of members of the Contact Group for the Defense of Ukraine at the US Ramstein Air Base in southern Germany, Austin told reporters that the delivery of training tanks to Ukraine in the next few weeks represented “tremendous progress”.
In the coming weeks US will begin training the Ukrainians in the use of Abrams tanks
“I am confident that this equipment, and the training that accompanies it, will put Ukrainian forces in a position to continue to achieve success on the battlefield.”, Austin said.
The main topic of the meeting at the US base Ramstein, where representatives from about 50 countries, members of NATO and their partners gathered, was the coordination of the delivery of weapons and other equipment to Ukraine, in order to better resist the Russian invasion.
Officials said 31 tanks will arrive at the Grafenwehr training center in Germany at the end of May and that training for Ukrainian forces will begin a few weeks later and last about 10 weeks.
About 250 Ukrainian soldiers are to undergo the training, some of whom will learn to operate tanks, and others to repair and maintain them. After the first 10 weeks, additional tank combat and maneuver training is possible.
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