"US to Soon Announce $3 Trillion Weapon Aid Package for Ukraine"

No Plans to Dispatch Abrams
Germany Also Unlikely to Support Leopard

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] The Biden administration in the United States is expected to announce a new Ukraine weapons aid package, including 'Stryker' armored vehicles, as early as the 20th (local time). With the U.S. reportedly deciding not to send the 'Abrams' tanks, which Germany had set as a precondition for supporting 'Leopard' tanks, there are speculations that the Western movement to support tanks may face obstacles.

The U.S. political media outlet Politico reported on the 18th, citing three sources familiar with the matter, that the U.S. will soon announce a new weapons aid package for Ukraine.

According to sources, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley are expected to unveil the new weapons aid plan around the 20th, before or after the 'Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG)' meeting held at the U.S. Ramstein Air Base in Germany, attended by defense ministers and senior military officials from about 50 countries, including NATO member states.

Bloomberg reported on the same day that the scale of the new military aid package the U.S. is preparing could reach $2.5 billion (approximately 3 trillion KRW).

However, Politico noted that since the weapons aid package is awaiting President Biden's final signature, the details may change. The new aid package is expected to include additional artillery, ammunition, and Stryker armored vehicles.

One source said, "Stryker armored vehicles produced by General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) and precision-guided bombs (SDB) are also being considered for support." However, the Abrams tanks, which caused controversy among Western countries over whether to provide them, are reportedly not going to be supplied. The M1 Abrams tank is a main weapon for ground warfare and was deployed in the past Gulf War.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has argued that "Russia cannot divide NATO if the U.S. and Europe send tanks to Ukraine simultaneously," insisting that for Germany to support Leopard tanks, the U.S. must first send Abrams tanks to Ukraine.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that Chancellor Scholz recently pressured President Biden during a call to support Abrams tanks, which are considered equivalent to Leopards, effectively passing the ball to the U.S. The German-made Leopard is a heavily armed tank equipped with advanced defense systems and a 120mm cannon, held by European countries including the UK and Poland, mainly NATO members.

Colin Kahl, U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, responded to reporters' questions about Abrams support by saying, "It seems the U.S. has not yet reached that stage," indicating they are not ready to provide them. Kahl said, "The Abrams tank is very complex equipment, expensive, difficult to train on, and even equipped with a jet engine. It is by no means an easy system to maintain."

This weapons aid plan comes amid warnings from Ukraine that Russia is expected to mobilize up to 500,000 additional conscripts and launch a large-scale assault on Kyiv this month.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in an online speech at the World Economic Forum annual meeting (WEF, Davos Forum) held in Switzerland on the same day, urged for expedited support of tanks and air defense weapons. He appealed for additional Western support, saying, "While the free world is taking time to think, the terrorist state uses that time to kill."