Baerbock explains why Germany cannot send Marder armored personnel carriers to Ukraine
At the beginning of the war, Germany responded quickly to Ukraine's request to provide weapons, but the possibilities are exhausted, but Berlin is working to organize supplies from other countries.
This was stated by German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbok at a joint press conference with her Lithuanian counterpart Gabrielius Landsbergis in Vilnius, Ukrinform reports.
"Germany will do everything to support Ukraine with the opportunities it has," Baerbock said, responding to criticism of the lack of assistance from the Armed Forces of Germany.
She stated that she personally knew nothing about the "long list" of wishes of the Ukrainian side on armaments, which was allegedly reduced by the Chancellor's Office to an absolute minimum.
At the same time, the Foreign Minister noted that she was forced to tell her Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba that Germany simply doesn't have what the Ukrainian side needs. In this context, she mentioned submarines that Germany "cannot so easily provide and which cannot be used in this situation."
Baerbock also commented on the situation with Marder armored personnel carriers, which have been widely rumored to be in Germany. According to her, after studying the issue, it became clear that Germany can not put them "with a clear conscience" because they are currently in such a technical condition that simply will not function properly.
At the same time, Baerbock assured, government officials and military experts were constantly studying the issues that Germany can provide to Ukraine. She stressed that Berlin shared the need to provide Ukraine with heavy weapons. But Germany's position is that armaments should be provided in close coordination with NATO. Germany has prepared a "ring exchange" scheme, according to which other partners will supply tanks to Ukraine, and Germany "in a couple of months" will be able to close the gap that will thus be formed in their armed forces.
The Foreign Minister called the decisions made these days very difficult. "If we could work miracles and fulfill wishes, we would do everything to end this war in one day, but the bitter reality is that we cannot do that," she said. According to the representative, Germany's responsibility is to prevent the war from spreading to the EU.
Earlier it was reported that Germany was planning a "ring exchange" of heavy weapons with Slovenia. Under it, Ukraine can receive T-72 battle tanks developed in the Soviet Union, while the Slovenian army will receive Marder armored personnel carriers and Fuchs wheeled armored vehicles from Germany.
German officials and experts claim that they have provided Ukraine with all the weapons that were in the Bundeswehr's warehouses and that they cannot hand over anything else without harming the combat capability of their own army. At the same time, Berlin allocates money for which the Ukrainian side will be able to place orders directly at the enterprises of the German military-industrial complex.
