They are following in France's footsteps.

The United States and Germany will deliver to Ukraine infantry armored vehicles, of the Bradley type on the American side and of the Marder model on the German side, taking a new step forward in Western military support to kyiv in the fight against the invasion Russian.

"The war in Ukraine has reached a turning point," Joe Biden said Thursday during a meeting at the White House, adding that "the Russians are not (relaxing) in anything", before announcing an increase in support American to Ukraine.

Germany, under international pressure to beef up its military assistance to Ukraine, has also pledged to provide a Patriot anti-aircraft defense battery, as the United States has already done.

“It is logical that we take this step.

Ukraine has the right to defend itself against Russia's attack and it is our duty to help it to this end,” German Economy and Climate Minister Robert Habeck said.



Their “common determination”

These announcements follow a telephone conversation between the US President and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who expressed their "common determination" to support Ukraine, according to a joint statement.

The two countries remained vague on how many tanks they will supply to kyiv and on the delivery schedule, but Pentagon spokesman General Pat Ryder said the Bradleys were part of a new tranche. aid to Ukraine to be announced on Friday.

"We are now seeing the emergence of fronts and the intensification (of fighting) in several areas, including in the Donbass", declared the spokesman for the American diplomacy Ned Price, adding that the United States judged today hui "appropriate" the delivery of these combat vehicles.

France, for its part, promised Ukraine on Wednesday to deliver AMX-10 RC light combat tanks, which had further increased the pressure on the German Chancellor, regularly accused of dragging his feet when it comes to to support Ukraine militarily.

According to Der Spiegel

magazine

, the number of Marder armor supplied will be between 20 and 40. Ukraine's European allies have delivered Soviet-designed tanks before, but never yet Western-made tanks, despite repeated requests from Kyiv .

"Tank Killer"

In service since the 1970s, the Marder are light armored vehicles intended for troop transport.

Their main armament is a 20mm cannon.

The Bradleys are machines more or less of the same family, in service since the beginning of the 1980s. In the M2 model, they are equipped with a 25 mm cannon as well as an anti-tank missile launcher, and can carry , in addition to the crew, six fighters.

Ukraine is also calling for proper, more powerfully armed tanks, for example German Leopard 2 tanks or American Abrams.

The Bradley "is not a tank, it's a tank killer," General Ryder noted.

It is an “armored vehicle that has fire capability and can bring troops into battle,” he told reporters.

“We are convinced that this will help (Ukrainian forces) a lot on the battlefield.

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The spokesman said that Ukrainian soldiers could be trained in the handling of the Bradley on American soil, while training has so far been done in Europe, and in particular in Germany.

"We are exploring a range of options, including possible training here in the United States, overseas, or a mix of the two," he said.

  • War in Ukraine

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