Risch: Tank Delay Was Costly, U.S. Should Do More

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today released the following statement on the administration’s decision to send Abrams tanks to Ukraine:

“The Biden Administration’s decision to finally send Abrams tanks to Ukraine is long-overdue. Over and over, the administration has dithered in response to repeated Ukrainian requests for equipment, including Western tanks, HIMARs, advanced conventional munitions, and air defenses. The fact that the administration eventually provided these capabilities – under pressure from allies and members from both parties – does not diminish the strategic, materiel, and human cost that resulted from the delay. It should not be this hard to give the Ukrainians what they need to win.

“This is Ukraine’s war to fight, but the consequences of a defeat will be shared by the United States and our allies. The United States can and should aid Ukraine without being self-deterred for fear of Russian escalation.”

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