Abrams tanks in trouble: Trump’s military aid freeze hits Ukraine’s military capacity Article by Business Insider

The latest article by Business Insider ponders on the future of Ukraine's warfare abilities saying that President Donald Trump’s decision to halt military aid to Ukraine could severely impact Kyiv’s arsenal of US-made combat vehicles, including Abrams tanks and other vital armoured vehicles. 

Ukraine was already grappling with a shortage of Abrams tanks, and Trump's move to stop arms shipments, which includes the provision of crucial spare parts, will exacerbate the problem, the article notes. This decision will leave Ukraine struggling to maintain and repair tanks damaged in battle. Additionally, the US has ceased sharing some critical intelligence with Ukraine, further complicating the situation.

According to Serhiy Rakhmanin, a member of Ukraine's parliamentary committee on national security, defence, and intelligence, Ukrainian forces operating in Russia, particularly in its western Kursk region, rely heavily on US-made armoured vehicles. These include Abrams tanks, Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, and Stryker armoured personnel carriers.

"Some sustain damage but remain operational," Rakhmanin said. "However, repairing them is difficult because the US has provided very few spare parts. Now, there will be none at all."

Rakhmanin emphasized that Ukraine’s military equipment might be unusable due to maintenance constraints, rather than a lack of new supplies. "This is not about new supplies but about sustaining existing equipment," he added.

In the fall of 2023, the US sent 31 M1A1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, but by the following summer, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged that this number wasn’t enough to make a significant difference on the battlefield. The Abrams tanks are known for their powerful gas turbine engines, which require more maintenance than other tanks.

While the Biden administration has sent over 300 Bradleys, more than 400 Strykers, and hundreds of other armored vehicles to Kyiv, Ukraine is still struggling with the availability of critical spare parts for these vehicles. Adding to the complexity, Ukraine has also received Germany’s Leopard 2 and Britain’s Challenger 2 tanks, each requiring its own spare parts, further straining Ukraine’s supply chains.

In October, the Australian government announced plans to send nearly 50 aging M1A1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, a move that would more than double Kyiv’s existing Abrams inventory. However, the arrival of these additional tanks remains uncertain, leaving Ukraine to operate with a limited number of Abrams.

The shortage of spare parts has led to a rise in operational risks. According to Oryx, an open-source intelligence platform tracking war losses, at least 19 of Ukraine’s Abrams tanks have been damaged or destroyed, though Business Insider cannot independently verify these figures.

For much of the war, the US policy has been to transport damaged American military equipment from Ukraine to NATO soil, like Poland, for repairs, but this process is time-consuming. Rakhmanin noted that the US has always had strict policies regarding the repair of military hardware inside Ukraine, a situation that will worsen under Trump’s administration.

"This leads to absurd situations," Rakhmanin said. "For example, we might have a tank that is fully operational except for a small missing part. We cannot manufacture it because we lack the blueprints and authorization. We also do not have the necessary expertise to produce such components independently."

"As a result, the tank sits idle in a parking lot while we wait for months to receive the spare part," he added.

Rakhmanin suggested that the US could allow European countries to purchase and send spare parts to Ukraine, but it remains unclear whether this will be authorized. If not, Ukraine may be forced to cannibalize its equipment by stripping parts from one vehicle to keep another operational.

The decision to pause US military aid marks the first of three major moves by the Trump administration aimed at curbing support for Ukraine. This comes after an explosive meeting where Trump and Vice President JD Vance berated Zelenskyy at the White House days earlier.

On March 7, Trump addressed reporters, saying, "I want to know they [Ukraine] want to settle, and I don't know they want to settle." He added that he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin is open to ending the war.

The Trump administration’s halt on intelligence sharing further deprives Ukraine of essential warning signs for its air defences and efforts to protect its territory. Meanwhile, the White House has increased pressure on Zelenskyy to sign a deal that would provide Washington with revenue from Ukraine’s natural resources.

By Tamilla Hasanova