By Phil Stewart
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States is seeking to break the momentum of a grueling war and nearly frozen front lines in Ukraine with newly announced military capabilities that it hopes will inject new momentum into Kyiv’s fight against Russian forces, a senior Pentagon official said on Wednesday.
But Colin Kahl, the Pentagon’s top policy adviser, said the Pentagon was not yet ready to respond to Kyiv’s calls for gas-guzzling M1 Abrams main battle tanks.
“I just don’t think we’re there yet,” said Cal, who had just returned from a trip to Ukraine. “The Abrams tank is a very complex piece of equipment. It’s expensive. It’s hard to train. It has a jet engine.”
Kahl’s remarks came ahead of a meeting this week of senior defense officials from dozens of countries at the US Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany to coordinate military aid to Kyiv.
The United States has committed roughly $24 billion to help Ukraine defend itself against Russian forces, including a new $3.5 billion package announced this month that includes Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, self-propelled howitzers, armored personnel carriers, missiles surface-to-air and ammunition .
US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said President Joe Biden’s administration should approve Stryker armored vehicles for Ukraine.
Pressure is mounting on Germany to send its Leopard main battle tanks to Ukraine – or at least to approve their transfer from third countries.
But Germany appears to want to tie such a contribution to the US decision on the Abrams. A German government source told Reuters that Germany would allow German-made tanks to be sent to Ukraine to help defend it against Russia if the United States agreed to send its own tanks.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is due to meet Germany’s new Defense Minister Boris Pistorius in Berlin on Thursday.
Kahl noted Britain’s commitment to send 14 of its Challenger 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine and, without confirming any German conditions for providing the Leopard, said: “I think if there is any concern about being alone in providing that capability , that shouldn’t be a problem.”
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“But at the end of the day, you know, the German government will make a sovereign decision,” the U.S. defense official said.
Kahl also praised Germany’s contribution so far.
“I think we have to give enormous credit to Germany for their generosity to Ukraine so far,” he told reporters at the Pentagon.
The front lines in Ukraine have hardened since Kyiv regained significant territory in the east and south in the second half of 2022. Cal described brutal World War I-style fighting, with progress measured in blocks.
“Really what we’re focused on is increasing those capabilities in Ukraine for the next phase of the conflict to really try to change that dynamic and continue the momentum that the Ukrainians had in the late summer and early fall,” said Cal, echoing comments made in Washington on Tuesday by British Foreign Secretary James Cleverley.
The US provision of Bradley fighting vehicles, combined arms training and other new weapons to the Ukrainians is intended to enable Kyiv to change the static defense dynamic “by being able to fire and maneuver through the use of more mechanized forces” , Cal said.
(Reporting by Phil Stewart; Editing by Leslie Adler and Jonathan Oatis)
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