Australia's Abrams tanks reach Ukraine after nine months
Defence Minister Richard Marles said the tanks, first promised last October, would "make a significant contribution" to Ukraine's "ongoing fight against Russia's illegal and immoral invasion".
More than half of the 49 promised tanks have now reached the Ukrainian army, according to a statement from Mr Marles, with the remainder expected "in the coming months".
The lengthy delay was blown out by the need to gain Washington's approval to send the US-made tanks to a third country, and what Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described earlier this year as "logistics challenges".
In May, when the ships were first being loaded, a US official told the ABC of American frustration about the "complicated" undertaking to send tanks that the Ukrainians would find "difficult to sustain" once in their possession.
An Australian official told the ABC in April there was "doubt if the Ukrainians actually want these vehicles", which had never seen combat and were being replaced, and which could be vulnerable to drones given their weak roofs.
But the tanks were requested by Ukraine, and the gift has been welcomed publicly by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ambassador to Australia Vasyl Myroshnychenko.
"These modified M1A1 Abrams tanks will deliver more firepower and more mobility to the Ukrainian Armed Forces," Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy said.
"They meet a direct request from the Ukrainian government and form part of Australia's unwavering commitment to protect the global rules-based order."
The 49 tanks come from a fleet of 59 originally purchased in 2007. They are being replaced by the M1A2 model.
They are valued at $245 million, part of a total of $1.5 billion in Australian assistance to Ukraine.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
SBS Australia
2 hours ago
- SBS Australia
Labor's vote tanks in the Tasmanian state election that 'nobody really wanted'
Listen to Australian and world news, and follow trending topics with SBS News Podcasts . At polling booths across Tasmania, the obligatory democracy sausage was selling like hotcakes as voters cast their ballots in the state election. But you could be forgiven for thinking voters have been keener on the snags than the election itself. And that includes the Tasmanian Premier. "I did not want an election. I know Tasmanians did not want an election - but Dean Winter caused this election with his desperation and his immaturity." Saturday's poll was the second in 16 months for the state, and the fourth in seven years, called after the minority Liberal Premier Jeremy Rockliff lost a parliamentary no-confidence motion in June. Perhaps keen to get it out of the way, more than 100,000 people voted early - about a quarter of Tasmania's 412,000 enrolled voters. Labor leader Dean Winter though has maintained the Premier brought the election on himself. "The person who drove to Government House to call an election was Jeremy Rockliff. The person who caused this election was Jeremy Rockliff. He stubbornly refused to resign when the parliament didn't have confidence in him." The potential AFL stadium appears to have loomed large as an issue with voters. The proposal for the $945 million waterfront venue in Hobart has been opposed by parts of the community, the Greens, several crossbenchers - and Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie. "I love AFL, Tasmania loves AFL, but it shouldn't come at the cost of future generations of Tasmanians. So there needs to be a pathway through that doesn't mean Macquarie Point stadium." Still, both major parties have supported the idea, and some Tasmanians have also been keen. MAN: "Very important. No, it'll be great for everything, the economy, the kids, the footy. Yeah, it'll be good." WOMAN: "It will completely help Tasmania. We need it, our economy needs it, and it's great for the kids." WOMAN: "Because we need one in Tassie." MAN: "And the economic benefits." DISTANT VOICE: "We need jobs." There have been other concerns too, besides the budget and cost of living pressures - from multicultural communities like the Nepalese diaspora worried about a spate of harassment and vandalism incidents. Dr Santosh Adhikari is the Regional (North) Lead for the Children's University Tasmania, and the founding president of the Nepali Society of Northern Tasmania (NSNT). He has told SBS Nepali many have wondered about the response of authorities to these incidents in such a volatile political climate. "It's definitely been affecting the community to grow in any place, like when the government is not stable. For example, it takes a long time to make relationships with the politicians and the policymakers. So if the government changes so frequently it is hard to build a relationship and advocate on behalf of the community to the politicians." The appetite for political calm though is unlikely to be satisfied after this election. All opinion polls before the polls opened pointed to neither the Liberals nor Labor boosting their support enough to reach the 18-seat mark required for majority government. The Liberals held 14 seats, Labor 10, while the Greens held five and the remaining six were either independents or other parties. So far the Liberals have defied expectations. Essentially, that means the government is on track to keep all of their existing seats and perhaps pick up more while Labor could struggle to retain all of theirs. But the Labor leader has suggested they would try to govern in minority even if they finish with fewer seats than the Liberals. One of those Liberal seats has been claimed by former Coalition MP Bridget Archer, who lost her federal electorate seat in the last federal election. In Canberra, Ms Archer garnered attention for crossing the floor to vote against her own party several times - something she has already flagged she was keen on continuing in state politics. "I'm not going to be anybody's stooge or anybody's puppet." Jeremy Rockliff has also drawn a line in the sand. He has indicated he will not do any deals with the Greens to govern. "We cannot risk going back to the dark old days of a Labor Green government." An official result may be weeks away because of postal votes still to arrive, but counting suggests the incumbent government's vote has risen and Labor's has collapsed. Which means for now, for some it's time to either commiserate, or celebrate.
ABC News
4 hours ago
- ABC News
New independent MP Peter George calls out Tasmania's major parties as he joins a progressive crossbench
An anti-salmon farm independent candidate is set to be elected to Tasmania's parliament — as part of a crossbench that could pose even more challenges for the Liberals and Labor. Former ABC journalist Peter George will be elected in Franklin, describing the two major parties as "a bunch of squabblers" who need to engage more constructively with the crossbench. With counting continuing, the crossbench could be five Greens MP, Mr George, progressive independents Kristie Johnston in Clark and Craig Garland in Braddon, and former Labor leader David O'Byrne. The Shooters, Fishers and Farmers candidate in Lyons, Carlo Di Falco, is also a chance of being elected. That would make a 10-member crossbench in the 35-seat lower house — nine from the progressive side of politics, and one conservative. The Liberals could end with 15 or 16 seats, and Labor with 10, with 18 needed for majority. Mr George said the Liberals and Labor need to change how they approach state politics. "We need some maturity from those two old parties to negotiate a way through that gives us four years of stable government for the benefit of all Tasmanians, not for party political interests." Mr George said he would focus on "budget repair, social repair, island repair and integrity repair". The likely returned Braddon independent MP Craig Garland supported the no-confidence motion against Premier Jeremy Rockliff. He said he wanted to ensure the next parliament could go the distance. "If Jeremy is the premier, we've already had discussions," he said. We've tried to push things along, it didn't work, but now we have to make it work. "There's no other choice than to make it work." Independent candidate David O'Byrne has served in Tasmania's parliament for 11 years, and said independents should not come to the major parties with a list of conditions for their support. "I think that becomes transactional," he said. "If you have a list of 10 issues that you want to prosecute, what happens if those 10 issues are resolved? There will be issues in months or years to come. "I won't make the perfect the enemy of the good, I will allow a government to form, and I won't be supporting frivolous no-confidence motions regardless of who forms government." The last election saw three Jacqui Lambie Network MPs elected. This election two ran with the Nationals, and one as an independent. All three have been defeated.
ABC News
5 hours ago
- ABC News
Casey Briggs predicts the Liberals will win the largest number of seats in the Tasmanian parliament
Casey Briggs predicts the Liberals will win the largest number of seats in the Tasmanian parliament
