John Kirby: it will take many months before U.S. Abramses reach Ukraine

"Fakty" TVN correspondent in the United States, Marcin Wrona, spoke on Wednesday with John Kirby, shortly after Joe Biden had announced he would send Ukraine 31 M1 Abrams tanks.

Kirby was asked about the importance of Poland's decision to send Kyiv tanks in the context of building a whole coalition of countries sending heavy equipment to Ukraine. "Poland has been a terrific, obviously a terrific NATO ally, but a terrific contributor to support to Ukraine. They’ve really stepped up in a meaningful, just terrific ways. And their willingness to contribute armoured capabilities in the form of tanks – also very, very important. It will help Ukraine not only defend its territory in coming weeks and months, but be able to take its territory back. So we’re very grateful for Poland’s contributions," he said.

Kirby was also asked how long would it take until German Leopards and U.S. Abramses reach Ukraine. "I can’t speak to the Leopard tanks, it’s truly a decision Germany has to make and we would respect their sovereign decision making space," replied.

"But in terms of Abrams, it’ll take – because we’re procuring them – it’ll take many months before they are able to be in country," Kirby explained.

According to U.S. National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications, "the tanks will contribute to an already terrific armoured capability that Ukraine has at their disposal," as well as "to what we call combined arms manoeuvre, combined arms operations, allowing them to fight effectively in open terrain, the kind of terrain that we think they’re going to be fighting over, here in the coming weeks and months".