Germany has handed over a new military aid package to Ukraine, which includes two dozen Leopard 1 A5 tanks and more than 60,000 155-mm shells, as the German government reported.
In addition to the 22 Leopard 1 A5 tanks that the country donated jointly with Denmark, as well as 61,000 rounds of 155-mm ammunition, Ukraine will also receive:
- five Bandvagn 206 (BV206) tracked all-terrain vehicles
- one Warthog all-terrain tracked vehicle
- three GEPARD self-propelled anti-aircraft systems with spare parts;
- two TRML-4D air surveillance radars;
- 10 MG3 machine guns with 500 spare barrels and breechblocks;
- 1 million rounds of ammunition for firearms.
In particular, Germany handed over 30 VECTOR reconnaissance drones with spare parts to Ukraine. Germany has also provided:
- 20 RQ-35 Heidrun reconnaissance drones;
- 20 unmanned surface vehicles;
- 12 SONGBIRD reconnaissance drones;
- six Hornet XR.
Since the beginning of Russia’s invasion and an all-out war against Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Germany has provided Ukraine with materiel from the Federal Armed Forces’ warehouses worth about 5.2 billion euros.
Germany plans to allocate an additional €400 million for military aid to Ukraine this year, according to a letter from State Secretary of Finance Florian Toncar to the Bundestag Budget Committee, Ntv wrote.
The politician from the Social Democratic Party highlights the additional needs announced by the Federal Ministry of Defence, as well as the challenging situation Ukraine finds itself in during the war with Russia.
Toncar stated that “the purchase of military equipment from the arms industry” should be the primary use of the funds.
According to him, the success of Russian troops has worsened Ukraine’s situation. Ukrainian forces have suffered “heavy material losses” due to Russia’s growing superiority in artillery and the use of guided aerial bombs.
There is a “serious risk (…) that Ukraine will fail in its defence struggle without significantly increased support,” Toncar writes.
Earlier, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius expressed hope that the federal government would allocate additional money for the supply of weapons to Ukraine. The funds in question are in addition to the 7.5 billion euros already allocated to Ukraine in the German budget for this year.
German media reported in the summer that the German federal government’s current budget planning does not include additional funds to support Ukraine and that the Chancellor will no longer approve additional requests from the German Ministry of Defence for military assistance to Ukraine.
At the same time, the German government denied any intention to cut military aid to Ukraine.
