The US currently have over 2500 Abrams tanks in stock and are working on the A3 variant to come out late this decade. They don't really need more heavy tanks right now (They start producing the M10 Booker light Tank next year to complement and replace the Abrams on lighter units) but certainly don't want to keep the production lines empty, either. Those 30 tanks would certainly help them bridge the production contracts until then, either by directly producing for Ukraine, or by sending them the older versions in stock (M1A1SA and/or M1A2 SEPv2) and replacing them with the SEPv3 variants currently on the production line.

It's a real shame that it couldn't have been largely Leopard 2's though, in the 100s. The Abrams is a great tank but it will be a logistical nightmare for Ukraine and needs a fuel truck following it constantly and staying within reach as it consumes a shit-ton of fuel whether moving or standing still. The fuel trucks won't be able to storm through certain conditions too such as snow or mud.

I don't imagine we will see Abrams storming the frontlines, it will be used in certain situations where the fuel trucks can remain safe, careful and slow movements to destroy a fortified position and then move away for other units to go through, Leopard 2 is more of a storming tank than Abrams is as it doesn't have the same logistical complications.

But we don't have enough Leopard 2's to spare, apparently. So America will have to send more of their thousands of Abrams.

There will be more Leo to come. Production lines were pretty much shut down before the war and are now reopened again, with new models to come, too. This will result in more outdated Leo models getting exchanged for more modern ones (As in, 2A5 and older), so those tanks will progessively get retired and then sent to Ukraine. Norway already started this process, sending some of their 2A4NO and ordering 2A8NO tanks to eventually completely replace the 2A4 fleet of 52 2A4 tanks (out which only 36 were operational) with 54 2A8. It will take some time though, but with all the other tanks Ukraine captured and got during the conflict, I do believe they have some margin before this can become an actual problem. Right now what is much more important are mine-clearing vehicles, tanks are not much used due to the extensive minefields.

Speaking of tanks, do you happen to know more about how's Ukraine's own tank production atm? Are they still producing new tanks or are they focussing on repairing disabled/captured tanks instead right now? As far as I know they were focusing on the T-64 in terms of production until the invasion, but might it not be more prudent over the long term to go T84 instead, specifically the Yatagan variant (or some evolution of it), which comes with a NATO-standard main gun?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66927138

So Uefa have allowed Russia’s U17 team compete in qualification for a forthcoming tournament. Whilst I can see where they are coming from about ‘not punishing children for the actions of adults’ it will inevitably used for propaganda purposes by Russia’s government.
However, very quickly the reaction I was expecting came about with other Uefa members stating they will refuse to play Russia.
Also, with Russia banned from hosting matches as well as Belarus, where are they actually going to play. A few places spring to mind (Hungary, Turkey, Armenia and Georgia) but its not a long list.

Yeah, Ukraine at worst has parity with Russia on tanks, that's without even including the Leopard 2's, Challenger 2's and Abrams to come. From all the Leopard 1's, Ukraine's existing tank stock and the captured Russian tanks (quite a few T-90s). I think it was America who said that Ukraine has more tanks than Russia now in the field. Also true that mine-clearing vehicles are more important right now.

I'm wondering if some Abrams may replace some of the tanks that are no doubt sitting in Kyiv covering the Belarus border and possibly the Transnistria border which would free those tanks up to be sent to the frontlines, I don't think Ukraine will be sending dozens upon dozens of Abrams out into the frontlines given how logistically demanding it is but we'll see, Ukraine has surprised us before.

I'm not sure about Ukraine's tank production at the minute but I believe I remember posting a few months back Ukraine showing off one of their newly built tank models and announcing a new order of those, so I'm fairly confident they're still producing new tanks and investing in their own lines. The T-84U Oplot may be the one I'm thinking of.

Iirc, that was the T-64 BM2 type 2017, of which about 200 had been produced (or rather, 200 T-64 BV had been upgraded to this new standard) before the war with Russia started, or the T-64 BM2 Oplot upgrade for T-64 BM Oplot-M tanks, of which a handful existed before the invasion. The T-64 BM Bulat is still so far the most modern production version, dating from 2004, and is technologically on identical level to the T84 Oplot-M. I'm not sure if the T84 U is an upgrade package or a newly produced tank version; if it's the latter than this one should be the most modern tank produced in Ukraine, otherwide it the T-64 BM Oplot.

There are also plans for a serial production of a T84-120 variant, but since the design had not been finalized prior the invasion those plans have been either on hold or pushed back in priority for obvious reasons. Ukraine might also try to copy some tech from the Leo and Abrams tanks to incorporate into this new design while they're at it.

Switzerand has decomissioned 25 Leopard 2 tanks (fully operational, not some those Leopard 1 tanks rotting away in some Italian storage dump). Supposedly these will be sold back to Rheinmetall (and at the current political pace, probably in 2040....)

Yeah, but since they're Swiss, they probably won't be able to be resold to Ukraine due to Swiss laws prohibiting exporting weapons to nations in armed conflicts.

The German government has assured that the Leopard 2s will not be forwarded to Ukrania, but instead are used to "fill up empty spaces" in EU countries. Make of that what you want, it does not exclude those countries to sell "equivalent tanks". When the tanks are gone, they are gone and Rheinmetall can do whatever they want/are asked to do in the end. Switzerland will be pissed but so what (the entire EU is pissed about Switzerland, anyways)...