the U.S. And its western allies
are pledging heavy tanks to
Ukraine ahead of a potential
Russian offensive in the
spring.
National security councils John
Kirby laid out the timeline on
Friday.
>> Elaborate tanks will
probably get there from the
Germans and from our European
allies and partners.
It will get there in relative
short order.
Probably in time to help them
in the spring and summer.
The American tanks, the Abrams
will take a little bit more
time.
It will take many months before
they can get on the ground.
>> Joining us now is CNN
military analyst colonel Cedric
Leighton.
So, colonel Leighton, German
leopard tanks could be there
relatively soon.
As you heard there, though,
from John Kirby, the Abrams
tanks could take a while.
Are they gonna get there too
late?
>> Well it really depends,
Pamela, indeed, when you look
at the difference, first of all,
they have talked about 321
tanks, according to the
Ukrainian ambassador to France
being sent to Ukraine.
So that is a large number.
That is basically what the
Ukrainians asked for.
Last for around hundred
foreigner tanks.
They are getting what they
need.
But let's take a look at the
leopard tanks.
So this is the jumper in
leopard tank.
Very capable tank, it has 120
millimeter cannon that is
associated with.
It just like the Abrams does.
Good armor.
Can be used in a lot of
different environments.
Very removable.
And it has a lot of firepower
along with it.
But it has less required
training time than the Abrams
tank does.
And the Abrams tank that you
see right there, that is one
that is extremely powerful.
It is basically the
top-of-the-line armor vehicle
that the U.S. Uses for these
kinds of purposes.
I'll eat manoeuvrable, but it
does require a lot of
maintenance and uses logistics
in this case.
>> And adviser to president
zelenskyy says Ukraine is
negotiating with western allies
to access long range missiles
and aircrafts.
How would that help change the
war, and do you see this
dynamic continue to play out
where they get something and
they say, okay, well here is
what is next on Arlette wish
list.
>> There are a lot of different
things to think eventually get.
Take a look at the a tax system
for a second full.
This is a system that has about
hundred 90 mile range and it
can really affect longer range
areas.
So it is considered a
short-range system.
But it is longer range enough
that it would be, for example,
go after crimean targets.
So if the Ukrainians want to go
after crimea this is one thing
that they would do there.
Now, in the fire jet world this
is an F 16 courtesy of the
Danish airport.
In this particular case, but
what it can do is it can move
around very maneuverability.
It is a top-of-the-line
aircraft.
Although it is almost 50 years
old.
First flight was about 49 years
ago.
These aircraft are really the
mainstay or have been until
recently, the mainstay of the
U.S. Air force.
And there is a real big part of
the nato inventory and that is
something, though, they would
require a lot of training on.
Anywhere depending on the
experience of the pilot.
Anywhere from three months,
that is a real minimum, highly
unlikely.
All the way to a year or more.
So this training pipeline for
all of these systems is going
to be a very long one and a
very tough one.
>> Kim Jong-un's sister is
weighing in on all of this, she
is denouncing the western
decision to send tanks to
Ukraine.
She says that the people of
North Korea will always stand
with Russia.
Quote, always stand in the same
tranche as Russia.
Where do you see the work going
next?
>> When it comes to the war
that is going to be a really
interesting thing.
When you look at what you have
here on the main map you have
the possibility of the Russians
coming in, not only from the
east but from also potentially
the south.
Going into these directions.
That is what they want to do.
So if you go to a more detailed
map of the eastern front for
example, the big fighting that
you have around soledar, around
Mahmoud.
All of those areas here become,
that because I'm's a symbol for
what the Russians want to do.
Now, Mahmoud by itself is not
very strategically significant.
However, it is on that main
highway that goes this way.
And if they can use that
highway, that could eventually
be a gateway for the Russians
to move in to
ukrainian-controlled territory.
But they are going to, in
essence, try to work around a
stalemate.
The Ukrainians are trying to
run the clock out and they are
trying to make it so that they
can fight the Russians.
And at the very least keep them
here.
But their real goal is to
eliminate the Russians from
this part right here, this
so-called Atlanta bridge.
That is where the Ukrainians
want to move in the opposite