Biden: First US Abrams tanks to arrive in Ukraine next week

The first U.S. Abrams tanks allocated for Ukraine will arrive there next week, President Biden said during a White House meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Biden vowed during the meeting with Zelensky and other officials from Ukraine and the White House that his administration would continue to support the war effort against invading Russian forces.

The president said Thursday he approved the next tranche of U.S. security assistance for Ukraine, which included additional artillery and ammunition, launchers and interceptors and more anti-tank weapons.

The president in January agreed to send 31 Abrams tanks to help Ukrainian forces defend themselves from Russia’s invasion, a reversal from when the administration initially argued the tanks would be of little benefit to Ukraine. The tanks had to be procured, and Ukrainian forces had to be trained on the machines.

The U.S. is also focused on improving Ukraine’s air defense capabilities so it can protect infrastructure that provides heat and light as it prepares for winter.

Biden in prepared remarks said ongoing U.S. support for Ukraine is about “the future of freedom.”

“America can never, will never walk away from that,” he said. “That’s why 575 days later, we stand with Ukraine, and we’ll continue to stand with Mr. President.”

“Mr. President, we’re with you. And we’re staying with you,” he added.

Zelensky’s visit to Washington on Thursday came as the Biden administration sent Congress a supplemental funding request that includes another $24 billion in military, humanitarian and financial assistance for Ukraine.

The U.S. has already provided billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine, with Biden making the argument that Russia’s invasion is a threat to democracy globally, and Russian President Vladimir Putin would look to invade another country if it successfully takes Ukraine.

But a minority of Republicans in Congress and some leading presidential candidates, including former President Trump, have pushed back on continued funding for Ukraine, arguing it is not in the United States’ interests to be sending money to the war-torn nation to fight Russia.

More than two dozen Republican lawmakers wrote to Biden ahead of Zelensky’s visit on Thursday, saying they oppose additional spending for Ukraine.

Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has said that he would like to see the $24 billion supplemental request for Ukraine be brought to a vote as a stand-alone bill, as opposed to attaching it to additional government funding that Ukraine’s supporters feel would allow the assistance to more easily pass through the chaotic Congress.