President Joe Biden announced Wednesday that the U.S. will send 31 M1 Abrams battle tanks to Ukraine, reversing months of persistent arguments by his administration that the tanks were too difficult for Ukrainian troops to operate and maintain.
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READ MORE: After U.S. reversal, Germany to provide Ukraine with tanks
The decision came on the heels of Germany agreeing to send 14 Leopard 2 A6 tanks from its own stocks. Germany had said the Leopards would not be sent unless the U.S. put its Abrams on the table, not wanting to incur Russia's wrath without the U.S. similarly committing its own tanks.
In remarks at the White House, Biden hailed the cooperation between the U.S. and its allies, saying that "the expectation on the part of Russia is that we're going to break up." But he underscored that "the United States and Europe are fully united."