U.S. soon to begin training Ukrainian troops on Abrams tanks - AP

That's according to AP, which refers to U.S. officials, Ukrinform reports.

According to the officials, 31 tanks will arrive at Grafenwoehr Training Area in Germany at the end of May, and the troops will begin training a couple of weeks later. Officials said the troop training will last about ten weeks.

It is planned that about 250 Ukrainian troops will be trained — with some learning to operate the tanks and others learning to repair and maintain them. Additional training on how to fight and maneuver with the tanks could also be provided after the initial ten weeks.

The training tanks will not be the ones given to Ukraine for use in the war against Russia. Instead, 31 M1A1 battle tanks are being refurbished in the United States, and those will go to the frontlines when they are ready.

The goal has been to have the troops trained by the time the refurbished tanks are ready so they can then immediately move to combat.

U.S. President Joe Biden announced in January that it would send Abrams tanks to Ukraine.

The Biden administration also announced in March that it would speed up the delivery of Abrams tanks to Ukraine, opting to send a refurbished older model that can be ready faster.