Australia's Abrams tanks reach Ukraine after nine months.

Extract from ABC News

By political reporter Tom Crowley

• Topic:Federal Government

8 hours ago

The decision to send retired Abrams tanks to aid Ukraine's war effort was announced in October of last year. (Supplied: Australian Defence Force)

In short:

The first of Australia's retired M1A1 Abrams tanks have arrived in Ukraine, nine months after they were gifted to aid the country's war effort.

The lengthy delay was blown out by the need to gain Washington's approval to send the US-made tanks to a third country, and what Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described earlier this year as "logistics challenges".

What's next?

The remainder of the total 49 tanks are expected "in the coming months".

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The first of Australia's retired M1A1 Abrams tanks have arrived in Ukraine, nine months after they were gifted to aid the country's war effort.

Defence Minister Richard Marles said the tanks, first promised last October, would "make a significant contribution" to Ukraine's "ongoing fight against Russia's illegal and immoral invasion".

More than half of the 49 promised tanks have now reached the Ukrainian army, according to a statement from Mr Marles, with the remainder expected "in the coming months".

The lengthy delay was blown out by the need to gain Washington's approval to send the US-made tanks to a third country, and what Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described earlier this year as "logistics challenges".

US officials question use of Australia's retired tanks as vehicles go to Ukraine

Photo shows A tank fires a large fiery blast in a field.

American officials remain privately frustrated over Australia's decision to donate retired Abrams tanks to Ukraine, even as the vehicles finally begin the long sea journey to the battleground.

In May, when the ships were first being loaded, a US official told the ABC of American frustration about the "complicated" undertaking to send tanks that the Ukrainians would find "difficult to sustain" once in their possession.

'A welcomed gift'

An Australian official told the ABC in April there was "doubt if the Ukrainians actually want these vehicles", which had never seen combat and were being replaced, and which could be vulnerable to drones given their weak roofs.

But the tanks were requested by Ukraine, and the gift has been welcomed publicly by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ambassador to Australia Vasyl Myroshnychenko.

"Every day we don't have those tanks on the battlefield, more and more people get killed," Ukraine's Ambassador to Australia Vasyl Myroshnychenko said.

"For us, support is urgent because Ukrainians are killed in large numbers."

Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy said the tanks will deliver more firepower and mobility to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

"They meet a direct request from the Ukrainian government and form part of Australia's unwavering commitment to protect the global rules-based order," the defence minister said.

The 49 tanks come from a fleet of 59 originally purchased in 2007. They are being replaced by the M1A2 model.

They are valued at $245 million, part of a total of $1.5 billion in Australian assistance to Ukraine.