Baerbock says Germany is ready to send heavy weapons to Ukraine
Photo: flickr.com
Germany is studying what additional maintenance and ammunition will be needed for its Marder infantry fighting vehicles so that Ukraine can use them.
This was stated by Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, Reuters reports.
On the second day of the Baltic tour, Baerbock responded to criticism from allies and observers over Germany's apparent delay in arms supplies, which Kyiv said was needed to repel russia's attacks.
"For us, there is no taboo on armored vehicles and other weapons that Ukraine needs," she told a news conference with her Estonian counterpart on Thursday.
But Baerbock said the priority was to ensure that Ukraine received old Soviet weapons as soon as possible, which its military could use without further training, and that Berlin was doing so by replenishing allied countries with modern German weapons.
She added that the German armed forces themselves faced a lack of equipment, stressing that German peacekeeping missions in Africa did not have all the helicopters they needed.
When asked by reporters whether German Leopard tanks would be sent to Ukraine, she said the military would need training in the use of such weapons and that Berlin would pay for the training.
"We are allocating 1 billion euros because we have to think not only about the coming days and months but also about the coming years… We know that every day counts," she said.
Earlier, the Defense Minister said that Germany was negotiating with the EU and NATO, which could provide Ukraine with heavy Soviet-made weapons.
To recap, Bild reported that the German Ministry of Defense had removed all heavy weapons from the list sent to Ukraine, although the German industry is ready to supply many weapons in the short and medium term.
