(NewsNation) — The U.S. now says it will send 31 of its 70-ton M1 Abrams battle tanks to Ukraine, and Germany says it will send 14 Leopard 2 tanks and allow other countries to do the same.
The dramatic reversal was the culmination of intense international pressure and diplomatic arm-twisting that played out over the last week.
The decision has led many to question why the massive battle weapon is important to Ukraine’s war with Russia. Many have also questioned whether or not tanks, in general, have a place in modern warfare.
Retired Major Gen. Willaim Enyart said yes. He said tanks were designed in World War 1 to break through trenches and Russians have built trenches. Ukrainians have, too, specifically in the Donbas region.
“Armored forces are clearly still very vital in modern warfare. The important thing though, is who has air superiority. As long as one has air superiority, the armored forces are highly mobile, highly lethal and able to rampage over the countryside” Enyart explained.
However, Enyart said, it becomes a different equation when no one has air superiority.
“Russia has an air force. It’s about 10 times the size of Ukraine’s, but because of Ukraine’s anti-aircraft weaponry, Russia has not been able to establish air superiority. Should one of the nations, either Ukraine or Russia, establish air superiority, then the equation changes quite a bit,” he explained.
This comes as Ukraine will now push for Western fourth-generation fighter jets such as the U.S. F-16 after securing main battle tanks, an adviser to Ukraine’s defense minister said.
“The next big hurdle will now be the fighter jets,” Yuriy Sak, who advises Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov, told Reuters by phone.
Ukraine’s air force has a fleet of aging Soviet-era fighter jets that came off the assembly line before Kyiv even declared independence more than 31 years ago. The warplanes are used for intercept missions and to attack Russian positions.
“If we get them (Western fighter jets), the advantages on the battlefield will be just immense … It’s not just F-16s (U.S. multirole fighter jets): fourth generation aircraft, this is what we want.”
Deputy White House national security adviser Jon Finer told MSNBC on Thursday that the United States would be discussing the idea of supplying fighter jets “very carefully” with Kyiv and its allies.
“We have not ruled in or out any specific systems. We have tried to tailor our assistance to the phase of the fight the Ukrainians are in,” Finer said.
Sak said he expected the United States could play a key role in getting a decision to supply fighter jets over the line.
Despite any lack of significant palpable movement on the matter, Ukraine’s air force has yearned for better aircraft throughout the war.
Reuters contributed to this story.