Lindsey Graham calls on Biden to supply ‘heavy modern tanks’ to Ukraine for war against Russia
South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham called on President Biden on Thursday to send tanks to Ukraine, as requested by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The Republican lawmaker urged Biden to act after an announcement that France would send the first Western tanks to Ukraine to help fight the Russian invasion. France will supply Ukraine with AMX-10 RC light tanks, an aide to French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters on Thursday, according to French news agency AFP.
“I appreciate France agreeing to provide light armored combat vehicles to Ukraine – but this is not enough,” Graham wrote on Twitter. “The goal for 2023 is to give Ukrainians the weapons they need to militarily defeat the Russian invaders. This requires modern heavy tanks.
“I’m calling on the Biden administration to fulfill President Zelensky’s request for modern Western tanks. The goal is quite simple: defeat the Russians in Ukraine sooner rather than later,” Graham said. “Tanks would turn the tide of battle.”
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Sen. Lindsey Graham (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
This undated photo provided Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023, by the French Army shows AMX-10 RC tanks. (Jeremy Bessat/Armee de Terre via AP)
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Earlier this week, Zelenskyy renewed his calls for Western tanks to help his troops in areas like Donetsk, where the brutal ground war continues.
Fighting continues in other areas, including Luhansk, where according to its regional governor, Ukrainian troops are making slow gains, increasing “step by step”, although he warned that these advances “were not happening quickly”, first reported from Reuters.
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US Army Bradley Fighting Vehicle. (US Army)
President Biden said Wednesday that the U.S. is considering sending Bradley fighting vehicles to Ukraine — an armored vehicle that, while not technically a tank, moves on rails and is equipped with a free-rotating turret. It has less firepower than a modern tank and shorter fire range.
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Bradley vehicles are capable of carrying more infantry, weapons and communications than tanks and can maneuver quickly and effectively on the battlefield. But it is unclear whether Zelenskyy would consider the lighter vehicles sufficient for Ukraine’s needs.
Fox News’ Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.
Chris Pandolfo is a writer for Fox News Digital. Send tips to [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @ChrisCPandolfo.
