Last week, President Joe Biden announced that the United States will provide 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, once again publicly proclaiming support for the war-torn country.
“The United States, standing shoulder to shoulder with its allies, is going to do all it can to help Ukraine,” Biden said. “We are united.”
Biden’s remarks and announcement of aid came shortly after Germany pledged to send 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. Portugal, Norway, Spain, Finland and the Netherlands have also promised tanks.
While the announcements were a welcome piece of good news for Ukraine, the country will have to fight unaided for a few months longer. The tanks could take up to a year to be delivered to Ukraine, and on Monday, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky asked allies to “make time our weapon” and “speed up the supply” for weapons, including tanks, to arrive in Ukraine. Along with urging haste, Zelensky expressed his gratitude in a tweet, saying: “It’s an important step on the path to victory. Today the free world is united as never before for a common goal — liberation of Ukraine.”
The tanks’ delivery method, along with other aid to Ukraine, is a carefully protected secret. Russian troops could target transportation methods, and Ukrainian troops retrieve weapons from depots in North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) territory.
Once the tanks are in Ukraine, the troops must still be trained in effective protocol to operate the machinery. The International Institute for Strategic Studies said that learning to operate the Leopard 2 tanks could take three to four weeks to achieve basic proficiency.
Other aid to Ukraine has included a $3 billion weapons package from the U.S. The package was announced on Jan. 6, and is the largest package sent since the start of the Russian invasion. Included in the package were 50 infantry fighting vehicles, 500 anti-tank missiles and 250,000 rounds of ammunition.
The U.S. has sent more than $21 billion in assistance to Ukraine. On a visit to Congress, Zelensky provided a powerful statement on the aid. “Your money is not charity,” he said. “It is an investment in the global security and democracy that we handle in the most responsible way.”
Concerns over Western interference in Ukraine have been prevalent since the beginning of the invasion. Russia and North Korea have both condemned the United States’ aid to Ukraine, and were quick to send out statements on the latest package.
In a statement by Director of U.S. affairs at North Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Kwon Chung-keun, the country said that the U.S. is ignoring “just concern and criticism of the international community.”
“This is an unethical crime aimed at keeping the international situation unstable,” Chung-keun’s statement said. The statement was broadcast by state news agency KCNA.
The level of involvement that North Korea has in the war is debated. In December, the White House said the country completed an initial arms delivery to Russian forces, but North Korea insisted that the claim was a “groundless rumor.”
As the U.S. and its allies increase their support of Ukraine, global tension rises. On the ground in Ukraine, citizens are living daily with the consequences of the Russian invasion.
