The first batch of US-made Abrams M1 tanks have been delivered to Ukraine ahead of time, two unnamed US defense officials told The New York Times.

The US officials said the tanks have made it in time to Ukraine to be used in its failing counteroffensive against Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his army had taken delivery of US Abrams battle tanks, boosting Kiev's forces in their slow-moving counteroffensive against Russian troops.

"Good news from (Defence) Minister (Rustem) Umerov. Abrams are already in Ukraine and are preparing to reinforce our brigades," Zelensky said in a statement on social media.

Zelensky did not elaborate on how many tanks had arrived in the country, nor on how long it would take for them to be deployed to the front line.

The US has promised to send several batches of the tanks to Ukraine and has trained dozens of Ukrainian service members on its use. The officials did not state how many of the 31 Abrams tanks arrived in Ukraine so far.

The US and other Western backers have pinned their hopes on the main battle tanks and armored vehicles they have sent to Ukraine to provide its forces with an advantage on the battlefield and to achieve substantial success.

However, up to this point, every Western armored vehicle sent to Kiev has encountered intricate Russian defenses. Several top-of-the-line tanks have been destroyed or rendered inoperative by various means, including lancet drones, artillery fire, mines, and Russian tank fire.

Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence, has warned that the Abrams would need to be deployed "in a very tailored way, for very specific, well-crafted operations" to minimize the risk of destruction or capture. The Ukrainian official believes that if the tanks are sent to the frontline to punch through Russian defenses, "they will not live very long on the battlefield."

Earlier this month, it was announced that the tanks would be equipped with 120mm armor-piercing depleted uranium rounds. Meanwhile, Russia warned that this decision is an "indicator of [US] inhumanity" that will impact entire generations, referring to the health hazards it subjects humans to.

Despite the earlier Western public acknowledgment that Kiev's counteroffensive operation fell short of achieving any considerable field gains, the US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said the attack "continues to make steady forward progress."

"And brave Ukrainian troops are breaking through the heavily fortified lines of Russia's army of aggression," he claimed.

Read more: M1 Abrams tanks to arrive in Ukraine 'soon': US Defense Secretary