The first U.S. Abrams tanks pledged to Ukraine have arrived in the country and are being prepared to send into battle, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Monday.

“Good news from Defense Minister [Rustem] Umerov. Abrams are already in Ukraine and are preparing to reinforce our brigades. I am grateful to our allies for fulfilling the agreements!” Zelensky wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Zelensky added that Ukraine is “looking for new contracts and expanding the geography of supply.”

The Pentagon confirmed the tanks arrived in Ukraine, with a spokesperson saying “the mere presence of Abrams tanks serves as a potent deterrent.”

“By having these tanks in their arsenal, the Ukrainian army can more effectively discourage aggressive actions,” the Defense Department spokesperson told The Hill. “We will continue to focus on what we can do to help Ukraine succeed on the battlefield and protect its people.”

  • FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world
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    2 years ago

    It’s always very inspiring to see what we spent our money on instead of health care.

    Just inspiring.

    • Bread@sh.itjust.works
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      2 years ago

      We already had the tanks to use. They aren’t getting used otherewise. While our military budget is ridiculous, if there were ever a great reason to spend it, supporting an ally to help knock down a world power such as Russia for significantly cheaper than we ever could on our own would be it. We don’t even have any American troops dying in this war.

      We need healthcare, yes. But what we gain by helping Ukraine is not insignificant. Also it is the right thing to do, so more points there.

    • Edgelord_Of_Tomorrow@lemmy.world
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      2 years ago

      The US pays more per patient for healthcare than countries with social healthcare.

      Socialised healthcare would actually save money and allow the US to buy more tanks.