The German government will receive Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky tomorrow with a new arms package worth 2.7 billion euros. As announced this Saturday by the Ministry of Defense, the aid includes, among others, Marder infantry fighting vehicles, Leopard-1 battle tanks and Iris-T-SLM anti-aircraft defense systems.
“With this valuable contribution of urgently needed military material, we show once again that Germany takes its support seriously,” said Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, reiterating his government's support for Kiev “all the as long as it takes.”
Since the start of the war, the German government has approved arms deliveries to Ukraine worth 2.75 billion euros, so the new package means doubling the aid provided so far.
According to the Ministry of Defence, the new package of measures follows previous German support priorities. Among other things, it includes 18 wheeled howitzers, artillery ammunition, guided missiles for anti-aircraft defense systems, 4 IRIS-T SLM fire units for anti-aircraft defense and 12 IRIS-T SLS launchers.. To that will be added 30 Leopard 1A5 main battle tanks and 20 Marder infantry fighting vehicles, more than 100 armored fighting vehicles and more than 200 reconnaissance drones.. “All this and more comes from industrial stocks or industrial production,” the ministry announced..
Having overcome the initial reluctance to supply weapons to Ukraine, the Berlin government has become, along with the United Kingdom and the United States, the country that has delivered the most war material to kyiv. So far, it has delivered 40 Marder infantry fighting vehicles with ammunition from Bundeswehr and industry reserves, as well as 34 Gepard anti-aircraft tanks including some 6,000 rounds of anti-aircraft ammunition, two armored recovery vehicles and two tanks of Wisent demining.
In April, Germany also delivered the Patriot air defense system to Ukraine to improve defense against Russian air attacks.. The Bundeswehr has also taken over the training of the soldiers in an accelerated program. Patriot (“Phased Array Tracking Radar for Intercept on Target”) is one of the most modern air defense systems in the world. It can be used to combat enemy aircraft, ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles.
By the end of March, Ukraine had already received 18 modern Leopard 2A6 main battle tanks with ammunition from Germany.. On January 25, after a long internal political struggle, the German government had set itself the goal of “quickly assembling two tank battalions with Leopard 2 tanks for the Ukraine”. In Ukraine they are usually equipped with 31 tanks each. Poland, Norway, Canada and Spain are the main countries involved in the initiative.
Zelenski's visit to Germany, the first since the war began, is confirmed but the details of it remain, for security reasons, without being disclosed.. It therefore remains up in the air to know if the Ukrainian president will set foot on German soil this Saturday, after his visit to Italy, and if the meeting with Chancellor Olaf Scholz will be in Berlin or Aachen.
On Sunday afternoon, Zelensky and the Ukrainian people will be awarded the Charlemagne Prize in the Rhineland city for their services to European unity.. The president's participation in the ceremony is not confirmed, however.. Scholz will deliver the speech, even if he cannot be present. The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the Polish Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, will also speak.