MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australia will give 49 of its aging M1A1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine months after Kyiv requested the redundant fleet, Defense Minister Richard Marles said Thursday.
The Australian government was giving Ukraine most of its American-made M1A1 tanks, which are valued at 245 million Australian dollars ($163 million), Marles said. They will be replaced in Australia by a fleet of 75 next-generation M1A2 tanks.
In February, Marles said that giving Ukraine the tanks as they were phased out was not on his government’s agenda. But on Thursday he said he did not regard the donation as a backflip on his government's previous position.
“We talk with the Ukrainian government consistently around how best we can support them,” Marles told Australian Broadcasting Corp.
“We look at the material that we have; its effectiveness, ... the shape that it’s in, to be frank, whether it would be able to make a difference, whether it can be sustained and maintained so that it can be kept in the fight. And the Abrams tanks fit all of those criteria,” he added.
The United States provided the necessary permission for Australia to transfer the tanks to Ukraine as required under U.S. International Traffic in Arms Regulations, Defense Industry and Capability Delivery Minister Pat Conroy said.
“We are working very closely with our U.S. allies on the donation of these tanks,” Conroy said.
The United States agreed to send 31 Abrams tanks to Ukraine in January 2023 after an aggressive monthslong campaign by Kyiv arguing that the tanks were vital to its ability to breach Russian lines.
Conroy said Australia placed no specific conditions on how Ukraine used the tanks or on whether they crossed the Russian border.
“Our long-standing principle is as long as they are used according to the international rules of law, there are no other conditions,” Conroy said.
Ukraine's Ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, would not be drawn on opposition lawmakers’ criticisms that the tanks should have been donated earlier.
“This is a very timely, a very substantial and very fit-for-purpose announcement,” Myroshnychenko said. “We respect the decision of the government. It was not an easy one and I’m very happy that it was a positive one."
The tanks bring the total value of Australia’s military assistance to Ukraine since Russia's 2022 invasion to over AU$1.3 billion ($866 million).
In this photo released by Australian Department of Defence, an Australian Army trooper fires the .50 cal heavy machine gun from an Australian Army M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank during Exercise Gauntlet Strike at the Puckapunyal Military Area in Victoria, Australia, on June 26, 2024. (CPL Johnny Huang/Australian Department of Defence via AP)
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II announced Monday he is suspending his campaign for governor and instead joining the race for secretary of state of the battleground state.
Gilchrist, a progressive Democrat from Detroit, did not cite a specific reason for the change in his video announcement, but said he is not finished being a “public servant.” His departure clears up the Democratic primary and benefits the frontrunner, Jocelyn Benson, who is the current Secretary of State, in the race to replace term-limited Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
The secretary of state is Michigan's top election official, a highly politicized and visible role since the 2020 presidential election.
“Michigan has been ground zero in the battle for free and fair elections before, and it will be again,” Gilchrist said.
As Whitmer’s second in command and her running mate in two elections, Gilchrist struggled to match Benson’s name recognition and fundraising. He reported having around $378,000 of cash on hand as of October compared to Benson’s $2.98 million.
Benson is now set to face only Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson in the Democratic primary in August.
The inclusion of a well-known independent candidate has created a new problem for Democrats this year. Former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan is avoiding costly primaries altogether by running as an independent. The Michigan Democratic Party slammed the former Democrat last week for not standing up to President Donald Trump’s second term policies.
In the Republican primary, U.S. Rep. John James, former Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox, state Senate Leader Aaric Nesbitt and former Michigan House speaker Tom Leonard are jockeying for the nomination.
In his bid to become secretary of state, Gilchrist will face four other Democrats: Barb Byrum, Ingham County clerk; Aghogho Edevbie, deputy secretary of state; Suzanna Shkreli, a former Whitmer aide and commissioner of the Michigan State Lottery; and Adam Hollier, a former state senator from Detroit.
Michigan does not hold primary elections for the secretary of state position; the nominee is chosen by precinct delegates during party conventions. The Michigan Democratic Party convention is scheduled for April 19.
State Republicans plan to hold their nominating convention March 28 and GOP figures chasing the party's nomination for secretary of state include Anthony Forlini, Macomb County Clerk, and Monica Yatooma, an Oakland County executive.
In addition to the office of the governor and secretary of state, Michigan voters will be selecting a new state attorney general and a U.S. senator in November.
FILE - Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II waits before the State of the State address, Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024, at the state Capitol in Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/Al Goldis, file)
