SW1 wrote: ↑21 Jan 2023, 12:24
India has over 2000 t72 tanks in inventory if a deal could be done. Likewise Turkey a lot of older American tanks if you could persuade america to allow tanks to be sent that is.
It is highly unlikely that India would either donate or sell its tanks, or any heavy equipment to Ukraine. They are avoiding to openly criticize Russia, probably due close ties with Russia military industry, and are buying its oil. So I doubt it would do anything to antagonise Russia and giving tanks to Ukraine would surly do just that. Funnily Pakistan is selling lot of ammo to Ukraine.
Similarly, it is not very likely that either Greek or Turkey, which both have hundreds of T-60M3TTS tanks, would be eager to part with them, as both are looking on the other side as far more threatening than Russia. It does not help that Turkey is currently a dictatorship and not very reliable partner in anything. I don't think US would oppose sending M-60 tank to Ukraine tho, but there is not many which realistically could be sent, not to mention that M-60 is not exactly opposition to T-72 and T-80.
What realistically could be sent are mostly T-72 which are still in storage of NATO countries, although those could be mostly exhausted. Poland is still having some 280 PT-91a and some T-72a, and while some claims that it already send PT-91 tanks to Ukraine, none was confirmed, either by photo or officially, which means it is probably not true. But Poland already gave some 250 tanks, and it seems like it will give rest of T-72s but they already gave so much. Slovenia has 51 M-84 and Croatia around 70. But President of Croatia is not supporting Ukraine or NATO at all, and have sympathetic views to Russia, so if decision to sell or send those tanks to Ukraine needs his signature, it would not happen. It is similar with Bosnia and Herzegovina, which has some 50 M-84 is storage, but as Serb politicians in the government are probably the biggest fans of Putin in the World, there is no chance those would be given willingly. Hungary has 164 T-72, but again Orban would never allow them to be sent.
Outside Europe, maybe Morocco could be convinced to part with theirs 158 T-72, as they already donated some spare parts for them to Ukraine, but beside I don't see who else could be realistically expected to give weapons when so many of those potential donors have close ties with Russia military industry.
So there is still lot of tanks in Europe that potentially could be sent, but realistically they will not, mostly due politics.