NATO countries may transfer legendary Soviet-era T-72 tanks to Ukraine via the United States, as the war with Russian forces enters its 40th day.
In the context of the war between Kiev and Moscow entering a new phase, the US may act as an intermediary to transfer T-72 tanks from NATO countries that were built during the Soviet era to Ukraine. The New York Times was the first to report on this, but only in broad terms, stating that the US might assist Ukraine in obtaining Soviet-made tanks.
This isn’t the first time that information has surfaced about NATO countries transferring weapons to Ukraine from the former Soviet Union. The case that Poland wanted to transfer the entire MiG-29 squadron to Ukraine via the United States had previously been confirmed. Later, the United States rejected this plan, claiming that it was unworkable because it could lead to a direct confrontation with Russia.
The T-72 tanks, on the other hand, can easily cross the NATO border into Ukraine, or be transported by ship or truck, unlike the MiG-29. If the information about NATO’s assistance to T-72 is confirmed, it will be a significant development in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Russia, Ukraine, and the Soviet Union have all used this type of tank in combat.
Furthermore, the number of T-72 tanks in NATO’s stockpile dwarfs the number of MiG-29 fighters. Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia are NATO countries with a large number of T-72 tanks.
The majority of these tanks are now T-72Ms, which are a modified version of the T-72. These variants, however, lag far behind the T-72B3 version used by Russian ground forces in terms of modernization.
Poland, which currently owns 400 T-72M1, is the most likely country to provide T-72 to Ukraine. Poland also has 200 PT-91s, which are an improved version of the T-72M1.
Experts believe that if NATO can provide T-72 support to Ukraine, it will assist Kiev in establishing the backbone needed to launch a counter-offensive against Russian forces in eastern and southern Ukraine.
