Ukrainian soldiers will start training on Abrams soon - Pentagon

A senior US Defense Department official told this to reporters on April 4, CNN reports.

"Abrams training has not yet begun…We are still working on the equipment procurement so we haven't we have not yet begun the training, but I would expect that that will happen relatively soon," the official said.

The Pentagon reminded that more than 7,000 Ukrainian soldiers have already undergone training in the United States since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. As for the Abrams tanks, the USA plans to provide Ukraine with 31 units, the size of a tank battalion.

• On January 25, US President Joe Biden announced that Ukraine would receive 31 Abrams tanks.

• And First Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs Stanley Brown said that Ukraine could receive M1 Abrams tanks from stocks stored in US warehouses. This would speed up their delivery compared to if these tanks were produced.

• In March, the Pentagon decided to provide Ukraine with 31 M1-A1 Abrams tanks, instead of the previously planned newer M1-A2 models, to speed up the transfer process.

• Valery Ryabykh, Development Director of Defense Express, an information and consulting company, told Espreso: "Receiving an earlier version of Abrams tanks from the United States does not mean that these tanks are inferior - they are also modern and will help the Armed Forces in a counteroffensive."