U.S. Allows Australia to Donate 50 Abrams Tanks to Ukraine

Ukraine's hugely depleted tank fleet is about to get a huge boost with the addition of 50 tanks donated by Australia.

The Pentagon recently agreed to an Australian request to donate 50 decommissioned M1A1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine. The first batch of some 49 tanks are already on their way to Poland, the transshipment point to Ukraine, ABC News reported.

This move follows months of delay caused by Washington's hesitance to approve the re-export of U.S.-made military equipment to a third country. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed the donation during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Rome on May 18, reaffirming Canberra's ongoing military support for Kyiv.

“We’ve been working very closely with Ukraine, very closely with the United States, to see this shipment occur,” Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles told reporters.

The donation, part of a broader package announced in 2024, includes 49 tanks now being loaded onto a cargo ship, with one additional tank held back. However, some U.S. officials remain privately critical of the transfer.

In April, a Defence Department spokesperson told the ABC: "Australia remains on target to meet the delivery of the M1A1 Abrams in 2025, the M1A1 export process remains ongoing."

Critics have raised concerns over the tanks' vulnerability to drone attacks. A key issue cited by experts is the Abrams’ roof armor, considered its weakest point. Given the evolving drone warfare landscape in Ukraine, some have questioned the relevance of sending such heavy armored platforms.

According to a report published in April, some of the 31 Abrams tanks previously delivered to Ukraine by the U.S. were being pulled back from frontline operations due to vulnerability to Russian drone detection—an assertion the Ukrainian military denied.

Russia has strongly condemned the transfer. The Russian Embassy in Canberra stated that the Abrams “will burn exactly like previously donated Bushmasters,” referring to Australia’s earlier delivery of armored personnel carriers to Ukraine. Moscow continues to argue that such military aid prolongs the conflict and increases NATO’s involvement.

In 2024, the Albanese government was widely criticized for rejecting Ukraine’s request to donate Australia’s retired fleet of Taipan helicopters, which the Defence Department argued would be too complex for Ukraine to operate and sustain.