The transfer of Australian Abrams tanks to Ukraine has been delayed due to disruptions at a logistics center in Poland, reports ABC.

The planned delivery of M1A1 Abrams tanks by the Australian Department of Defense has been hindered by the suspension of U.S. military aid to Ukraine, which has led to a halt in operations at the Polish logistics center.

Meanwhile, the Department of Defense acknowledges that transferring military equipment has become more complicated. In light of this, discussions on the current situation will be held with Rustem Umierov, Ukraine’s Minister of Defense, who is expected to visit the country soon.

The media notes that following Australia’s announcement to transfer Abrams tanks to Ukraine, a U.S. official at the time cautioned Australia about the logistical challenges and future maintenance issues.

Meanwhile, retired Army Major General Mick Ryan told ABC that the M1A1 tanks are urgently needed to help Ukraine defend against the Russian invasion.

“If the US military system isn’t able to move these things in a timely fashion, we should be looking at working with our Polish friends or even private contractors — obviously considering security issues, to get these things to Ukraine as soon as we possibly can,” he said.

Despite this, the government states that the process of preparing the tanks for transfer is still ongoing, but they are working on dismantling systems that were used exclusively by the Australian Army.

Militarnyi previously reported that Australia was to transfer M1A1 tanks to Ukraine as part of a new military aid package worth $245 million.

In total, Australia will transfer 49 M1A1 AIM-SA tanks to Ukraine. The Australian Army used these tanks as part of 2 armored regiments between 2007 and 2024.

In addition, as part of the SA upgrade, the Australian Ministry of Defense has also ordered additional protection kits in the form of M19 reactive armor units, in an unknown quantity.

It is also unknown whether they will be delivered with the tanks.