Western allies have pledged to send at least 105 tanks: far fewer than Ukraine needs, and it could be months before they enter combat.

In an article, The New York Times analyzed whether Ukraine would have enough Western tanks.

Ukrainian troops still need to be trained to use a powerful Western combat vehicle, and to transfer them to the conflict zone is not an easy task, journalists believe.

According to the NYT, the tanks promised by Berlin and Washington will be delivered at least in the spring or summer — not in time to help Ukraine defend itself near Bakhmut.

Which countries donate Western tanks and how much?

The largest batch of tanks comes from the USA — 31 M1 Abrams, which are enough to supply one Ukrainian battalion.

The Abrams is one of the most advanced tank systems in the world, but its reliable operation requires special training, technology for its parts and, as a rule, special fuel.

On Wednesday, US officials said it would be at least several months before the Abrams could be delivered.

Other experts said it could take at least a year altogether.

Britain, Germany and Poland have committed to sending 14 tanks each, and London expects delivery of its Challenger 2 within weeks.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius predicted that it would take three to four months for Berlin to send its Leopard 2 tanks.

Poland said it was ready to send its own Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. Portugal said it could provide four Leopard 2s, and Norway said it could send eight more.

Other pledges to transfer Leopard 2s — but without specifying the number — were made by Spain, Finland and the Netherlands.

And France is considering the possibility of providing its Leclerc battle tanks to Ukraine, but their number is not specified.

The publication also mentioned Denmark's spring statement about its readiness to send 20 Swiss Piranha armored personnel carriers to Ukraine as soon as the government in Bern agrees that they can be re-exported.

However, Moldova has already received this technique.

In total, Ukraine can receive more than 100 Western tanks.

Is this enough?

The NYT mentioned the request of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny, who said that he needed 300 tanks for a counteroffensive.

The European military is said to have at least 2,000 Leopard 2 tanks — and hundreds of other types of Western battle tanks.

The Russians also still have thousands of tanks.

"The West will never match these numbers one-to-one. But, given the qualitative superiority of the Leopard or Abrams over even the most modern Russian tank, if the West could supply 500 to 1,000 tanks, it would be of great importance to the Ukrainians," says the military historian from Cornell University (USA) David Silby.

How much time does the Armed Forces of Ukraine need for training

Experts dispute claims — mostly by the United States — that it could take months for Ukrainian forces to train to use tanks.

They note that the Ukrainian military personnel selected for the crew have already been trained on Soviet-era tanks.

So learning to operate the Leopard 2 tanks, which are diesel-powered and easier to operate than the M1 Abrams, may only take three to four weeks.

A much more complicated process for the M1 Abrams.

It provides training not only in the operation of tanks, but also in their maintenance.

Will they have enough ammunition?

The lack of ammunition became a problem for Ukrainian troops almost from the beginning of the war.

Trophy Russian tanks have been an important go-between for Ukraine, but parts for them are often hard to come by, according to the Ukrainian military.

Western-made tanks use NATO-standard ammunition.

That is, they can be replenished by any of the 30 member countries of the Alliance or their partners.

The tanks will already be delivered with some extra ammo supplies.

Still, the war has so depleted Western supplies that some allies worry whether they will have enough for other potential conflicts or even for their own self-defense.

In addition, German and American tanks have different parts and maintenance regimes, and the ammunition of both types is different from the Soviet-era tanks that Ukraine currently has.

How will they get to the battlefield?

The process of delivering Western weapons and other military equipment to Ukraine remains secret, because Russia can target roads, railways or military depots.

Western military experts described a chain of delivery routes, mostly from centers in Poland, Slovakia and Germany.

According to the NYT, rail is generally the fastest and safest way to move equipment, given that long lines are likely to draw Russia's attention.

Getting tanks and other armored vehicles to the battlefield will require too much fuel, spare parts and time, experts say.

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