Press
Germany is once again supplying Leopard tanks to Ukraine to support the country against Russian troops. However, the country will not receive Taurus missiles.
Berlin – With another aid package, Germany wants to support Ukraine again in the fight against the Russian invasion troops. According to the industry magazine, this includes Army Recognition including ten Leopard 1A5 tanks. Ukraine will also receive 8,500 rounds of 155 mm ammunition, 20 Vector reconnaissance drones with spare parts, 34 RQ-35 Heidrun reconnaissance drones and various other military equipment.
Germany has become the second largest supplier of military equipment for the Ukraine However, Chancellor refuses Olaf Scholz (SPD) will continue to supply Taurus missiles for the country. Germany had previously delivered 30 Leopard 1A5 tanks. With the ten additional deliveries, the total now increases to 40 Leopard 1A5, the report says.
Ukraine urgently needs weapons in the war against Russia
Given Russia’s superiority and the lack of ammunition, Ukraine urgently needs new military equipment. The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on the world not to let fatigue set in in the face of Russia’s war of aggression against his country, as this would make Russia’s President Wladimir Putin would play into the hands of the Ukrainians. “It is very important for the Ukrainians that the world does not become tired (…) of the war unleashed by the aggressor,” said Zelensky on Tuesday during a visit to Portugal. Otherwise, “there will be no justice” and the world “will be changed by people like Putin,” stressed the Ukrainian president. While the war in Ukraine is entering its third year, Zelensky is currently on a trip through Europe to once again call for more arms deliveries from the Western allies.
On Tuesday, Kiev and Lisbon signed a bilateral security agreement in Portugal. On Monday, Spain had already promised the Ukrainian president in Madrid further military aid amounting to one billion euros. Kiev has previously concluded bilateral security agreements with countries such as Germany, France and Great Britain.
EU to expand training program for Ukrainian soldiers
The training of Ukrainian soldiers is also to be improved. At an EU meeting in Brussels, Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur therefore proposed increasing the EU training target for the Ukrainian armed forces from the current 60,000 to 100,000 soldiers. According to the Foreign Service in Brussels, around 52,000 Ukrainian soldiers have already been trained in the EU through the EU mission.
The Bundeswehr plans to train at least 10,000 soldiers again this year. The German army is training Ukrainian armed forces on the Patriot air defense system, the 2000 self-propelled howitzer, the Marder infantry fighting vehicle and the Leopard 1 and Leopard 2 battle tanks, among other things. There are also training courses in military leadership and medical care.
Restrictions on Western weapons against Russian territory
Meanwhile, voices are also growing louder within the coalition to allow the use of weapons supplied by Germany and other Western states on targets on Russian territory. “I strongly advise the Secretary General of the NATOto follow Jens Stoltenberg, who has made such a proposal,” said SPD foreign policy expert Michael Roth on Thursday in German RadioHowever, the Chancellor has so far rejected this.
Roth dismissed fears that this would cross a red line, which would make NATO states participants in the war. “The red line is international law, this line will not be crossed,” he stressed, referring to Ukrainian attacks on targets in Russia. If, for example, Ukraine were to build weapons depots in Russia attacks, this is part of Ukraine’s right to self-defense against the Russian war of aggression. “There is only one person who is escalating – and that is Vladimir Putin,” added the SPD politician. (erpe/dpa/AFP)
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