The tanks, which cost around $10 million each, were sent to Ukraine in January 2023, but their operation has become too risky due to the prevalence of Russian drones.

Five of the 31 tanks have already been destroyed in Russian attacks.

The US agreed to send the tanks after Ukraine's pleas for their importance in breaching Russian lines, but the battlefield conditions have significantly changed since then.

A senior defense official has stated that the use of drones in the Ukrainian conflict makes it dangerous to move tanks across open ground without detection.

As a result, US tanks have been withdrawn from the front lines.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff Vice Chairman, Adm. Christopher Grady, confirmed this move and mentioned that new tactics will be developed with the Ukrainians.

Grady also noted that while tanks are still important, their massed use in an environment where drones are common can put them at risk.

The US is planning to provide long-term military aid, including munitions for Patriot air defense systems, to Ukraine, worth approximately $6 billion.

This announcement comes as the US marks the two-year anniversary of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, a coalition that assesses Ukraine's battlefield needs and identifies sources for necessary ammunition, weapons, and maintenance.

Recent aid packages, including a $1 billion military assistance package signed by President Joe Biden, reflect a shift in strategy for Ukrainian forces in the evolving conflict.

The sidelining of tanks in the conflict was also reported.

Anonymous US officials have revealed a $1 billion military aid package for Ukraine, which includes counter-drone capabilities such as modified 0.50-caliber rounds, additional air defenses, and cheaper vehicles like Humvees, Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles, and Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles.

The US has also confirmed the provision of long-range ballistic missiles called ATACMs, enabling Ukraine to strike deep into Russian-occupied areas without advancing too close to drone detection or fortified defenses.

Despite drones being a significant threat, Ukrainian tactics have not effectively utilized tanks, according to one defense official.

The US trained Ukrainian troops on how to maintain, operate, and use Abrams tanks in combined arms warfare at Grafenwoehr Army base in Germany starting in spring 2023.

However, when Ukraine's counteroffensive stalled, there was a push to get the tanks on the battlefield to breach Russian lines.

In September, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the arrival of the Abrams tanks in Ukraine.

Since then, Ukraine has only used them in a limited capacity and has not incorporated combined arms warfare into its operations.

The Ukrainian military suffered tank losses during their recent withdrawal from Avdiivka, a city in eastern Ukraine that experienced heavy fighting.

The delay in new funding from Congress forced Ukrainian forces to ration ammunition, resulting in them only being able to shoot back once for every five or more attacks from Russian forces.

In Avdiivka, Ukrainian forces were significantly outgunned and defended against Russian glide bombs and hunter-killer drones using their limited ammunition.