The Biden administration has decided against sending tanks to Ukraine for now, which comes after weeks of buzz around the topic.
Sabrina Singh, the deputy Pentagon press secretary, told reporters Thursday it "doesn't make sense" to give Ukraine the tanks at this stage.
"The maintenance and the high cost that it would take to maintain an Abrams, it just doesn't make sense to provide that to the Ukrainians at this moment," Singh said.
A blow to Kyiv: Ukraine has been asking for the M1 Abrams main battle tank and other, modern tanks for months amid its war with Russia.
Ukraine is expecting a big offensive from Russia in the spring and will also need to conduct another major counteroffensive of its own to keep the upper hand in the war.
Kyiv has had its hands on Soviet-era tanks upgraded for use but would like the firepower offered from modern, western-designed tanks.
"There is no rational reason why Ukraine has not yet been supplied with Western tanks," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted earlier this month.
Group pressure: Germany is also refusing to provide its Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine unless the U.S. goes first with its M1 Abrams.
A group of European nations is forming to put more pressure on Berlin to allow them to transfer Leopard tanks in their country's stocks to Ukraine, Politico reported.
While 12 European nations operate the tanks, Germany would need to give the final OK to ship them over to Kyiv because of certain rules.
Not tanks, but Strykers: Instead of the prized M1 Abrams, the U.S. is expected to announce for Ukraine another shipment of Bradleys and, for the first time, Strykers.
The Strykers are eight-wheeled armored transports with attached machine guns and grenade launchers.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is meeting with about 50 defense ministers on Friday in Ramstein, Germany, where he will deliver remarks and hold a press conference.
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