Washington, 25 January 2023 (dpa/MIA) – The 31 Abrams battle tanks the US is sending to Ukraine will help Kiev recapture territory seized by Russian forces but should not been seen by Moscow as an “offensive threat,” President Joe Biden said.

“That’s what this is about — helping Ukraine defend and protect Ukrainian land. It is not an offensive threat to Russia, there is no offensive threat to Russia,” Biden told reporters.

Biden admitted that getting the US tanks to Ukraine could be a lengthy process.

“Delivering these tanks to the field is going to take time. Time that we’ll see and we’ll use to make sure the Ukrainians are fully prepared,” he said.

Biden‘s announcement on Wednesday marked a major reversal for his administration, which had repeatedly said it had no plans to send the tanks.