News Feed

Australia to give Ukraine almost 50 US-made Abrams tanks

2 min read
Australia to give Ukraine almost 50 US-made Abrams tanks
A U.S. Army M1A1 Abrams tank on July 14, 2023, in Bavaria, Germany. Photo for illustrative purposes. (Matthias Merz/picture alliance via Getty Images)

Australia will donate Ukraine 49 "soon-to-be-retired" U.S.-made Abrams tanks, the Australian media outlet ABC News reported on Oct. 16, citing Defense Industry Minister Pat Conroy.

The delivery comes after a controversy erupted earlier in 2024 when media reports emerged that the Australian military decided to quietly disassemble and bury its fleet of multi-role Taipan helicopters, even though Kyiv sent an official request for their transfer to Ukraine.

Conroy told reporters that it was "time to move on" about the Taipan helicopters and made no indication that the decision to give Ukraine the Abrams tanks was related to the backlash over their non-delivery.

The tanks will be delivered as part of a larger package of military aid worth 245 million Australian dollars ($163 million).

"These tanks will deliver more firepower and mobility to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and complement the support provided by our partners for Ukraine's armored brigades — Australia has been steadfast in our support for Ukraine," Conroy said.

Ukraine's ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, said that the delivery of tanks was a "significant contribution" that would be an "essential part of our land defenses."

Since the beginning of the full-scale war, Australia has provided Ukraine with more than $1 billion in aid, including $866 million in military assistance.

Zelensky’s victory plan has ‘great agenda’ but practical steps unclear, MPs say
Ukrainian lawmakers voiced their first reactions to Zelensky’s presentation of Ukraine’s victory plan to parliament on Oct. 16, praising the overall agenda but called out what they said was a lack of practical steps.
Article image
News Feed

U.S. President Donald Trump's remarks come after the Financial Times (FT) reported, citing undisclosed sources, that he asked President Volodymyr Zelensky whether Kyiv could strike Moscow or St Petersburg if provided with long-range U.S. weapons.

"The stolen data includes confidential questionnaires of the company's employees, and most importantly, full technical documentation on the production of drones, which was handed over to the relevant specialists of the Ukrainian Defense Forces," a source in Ukraine's military intelligence told the Kyiv Independent.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban called upon the EU to take action against Ukraine's conscription practices in an interview with Origo published on July 15, amid an ongoing dispute with Kyiv over the death of a Ukrainian conscript of Hungarian ethnicity.

Show More