Pentagon Press Sec Ryder: No Announcements On Sending Abrams Tanks

Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder has told reporters at the Department of Defense that the Pentagon has "no announcements to make at this time," on the reporting today from numerous news outlets stating that the Biden administration is preparing to send A1 Abrams main battle tanks to Ukraine.

• Bloomberg, the Wall Street Journal, and Reuters are among the news services which cited US government sources saying that the administration was preparing to pivot on sending the tanks.
• Some speculated that the move would be designed to facilitate the German transfer of Leopard 2 tanks, confirmed by Der Spiegel earlier today.
• Bloomberg: "The Biden administration is set to announce it will send M1 Abrams battle tanks to Ukraine, people familiar with the matter said, reversing a longstanding position as part of efforts to persuade Germany to provide tanks of its own."
• Ryder deflected press questions on the prospect of sending tanks and the logistics and training required to facilitate such a transfer. Ryder repeated the Pentagon line of that past few days that the Abrams is complex piece of machinery that presents multiple challenges on the Ukrainian battlefield.