LIMA, OH (WLIO) - President Biden announces the United States will be sending the Lima-made M1 Abrams battle tank to the Ukraine to bolster their forces battling Russia.
The President held a news conference Wednesday saying 31 tanks built at the Joint Systems Manufacturing Center will be headed to the front lines. He called it a united front with NATO allies like Germany who have also committed to sending enough tanks to the war-torn country to equip two tank battalions.
"The Abrams tanks are the most capable tanks in the world and they're also extremely complex to operate and maintain. So we're also giving Ukraine the parts and equipment necessary to effectively sustain these tanks on the battlefield. America is united and so is the world. We approach the one-year mark as we do with the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine. We remain united and determined as ever," stated President Joe Biden.
Ohio United States Senator JD Vance doesn't think that the country should make this commitment to Ukraine, because he does not think the escalation of their war with Russia is in the best interest of the United States.
"I think that this is a further escalation and unfortunately a further distraction," says U.S. Senator JD Vance, (R) Ohio. "Lima makes great tanks and one of the things that we have learned is that we have a lot of very necessary military equipment, munitions, and arms that are not being manufactured at nearly the level that we need them. So, I would like Biden to focus on making sure that our military has the things that it needs, and unfortunately, I don't think this decision leads to that."
Even though it will take months before they are delivered, the tanks will allow the Ukraine to launch counter-offenses and reduce casualties.
