Romanian military officials announced that the country will buy a battalion of Abrams tanks from the United States, making Bucharest the third user of that type of tank in Europe, after Poland and Ukraine.

According to the Balkan Security Network portal, Bucharest's decision is based on the conclusions of the Ministry of Defense's analysis of the urgent modernization of armored units, which has been ongoing since last year.

Abrams, German Leopard 2 and South Korean K2 Panther were shortlisted.

"Abrams is the best vehicle with unique characteristics for carrying out tasks," said the head of the General Directorate of Armaments, General Theodor Inkikas.

He did not specify how many tanks of that model will be purchased and in which version, but it is assumed that there will be 54, which is the standard number of armored vehicles for a battalion-level unit.