German government wants to offer Ukraine additional weapons systems as soon as possible, the media reports
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The German government wants to offer Ukraine additional weapons systems as soon as possible to increase resistance to the Russian army.
This was reported by Spiegel.
According to the publication, on Tuesday a group of secretaries of state agreed to propose to the government in Kyiv a list of different weapons systems in the next few days. After that, Ukraine must decide for itself which weapon it can use best.
Shortly after the start of the war, the German Ministry of Defense asked the German military industry which weapons systems could be delivered as soon as possible.
Based on the reviews, the department of Minister Christine Lambrecht has created a list of more than 200 items.
It includes almost all well-known German arms manufacturers, as well as many small suppliers who want to quickly supply weapons to Ukraine and can do so.
What is new in this idea is that the planned deliveries are no longer systems from the Bundeswehr's warehouses, but freshly made weapons that could be sent directly to Ukraine. It is unclear how the deals will be concluded. The EU has set a budget of 1 billion euros from which member states can finance arms supplies to Ukraine. However, so far Germany has probably not used EU funds.
The Bundeswehr itself has already delivered anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles, partly from old stockpiles. Also last week, it was announced that the Bundeswehr intends to sell another 2,000 grenade launchers.
The new list makes it clear that almost all fears about arms supplies to Ukraine have now disappeared. In addition to a large number of protective materials, there are also heavy weapons, such as mortars or heavy guns such as GAM B01 from the manufacturer Rheinmetall.
Many high-tech materials are also presented. Thales, for example, is proposing to install Squire ground-based radar systems. Thales also offers 12 mortars, according to the manufacturer, they can be delivered to Ukraine this week. It would also be possible to put thousands of night vision devices, bulletproof vests, helmets, modern drones to monitor the battlefield.
In total, the list includes a possible arms supply worth 308 million euros. More than half are reconnaissance devices, such as night vision devices or radar systems, as well as state-of-the-art microdrones, which are equipped with mufflers to turn off the cell phone signal.
To recap, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that his country "as a whole" is ready to act as a guarantor of Ukraine's security.
