(Central News Agency) U.S. President Joe Biden announced today that he would provide Ukraine with 31 U.S.-made M1 Abrams tanks, reversing a previous decision by the U.S. government not to supply the weapon and saying the West was not as divided as Russia expected.

In announcing the decision at the White House, Biden said it was necessary to provide M1 Abrams tanks to help Ukrainians "increasing their mobility in open terrain," Reuters reported.

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Earlier today, the German government also reversed its previous stance, announcing that it would send the German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, and approved its allies to hand over the tanks to Ukraine.

Biden thanked Germany for its decision, saying "Germany has really stepped up".

"The Russian side expected us to be divided, but we are completely, utterly united," he said.

Prior to this, the United States had refused to provide Ukraine with its own M1 Abrams tanks, citing the extensive and complex maintenance and logistical challenges of the high-tech tank.

Germany has also held off on making a decision, fearing that such a move could prompt Russia to escalate the situation or draw the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) into a conflict.

Regarded as one of the top main battle tanks in the world, the Leopard 2 has been used by the German Army for decades, as well as by the armies of a dozen other European countries and by national militaries as far afield as Canada and Indonesia. Shown up in conflicts in Afghanistan, Kosovo and Syria.

The M1 Abrams, which entered service in 1980, is similar in specification to the Leopard 2, but has some distinct advantages.

Modern versions feature multiple layers of depleted uranium armor protection, which is of great benefit to those inside the vehicle.

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