- Germany will provide Ukraine with Gepard anti-aircraft tanks.
- Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) said this at the start of a meeting of department heads from allied countries at the US military base in Ramstein.
- In addition, Germany is working with the United States to train Ukrainian troops on artillery systems on German soil.
Training on self-propelled howitzers and the provision of ammunition for the Ukraine is also planned together with the Netherlands. “Because we all know that artillery is an essential factor in this conflict,” said Lambrecht.
“You can do more, we are ready for it”
Another aspect of German arms aid for Ukraine is the so-called ring exchange, as Lambrecht explained. According to this, the Eastern European partners give the Ukraine equipment from Soviet production, and Germany then replenishes these stocks.
Legend:
Christine Lambrecht during the meeting in Ramstein.
Reuters
“You can do more here, we are ready for it,” said Lambrecht. At the invitation of the US government, defense ministers from more than 40 countries met in Ramstein to discuss how to proceed in the war.
The declared goal is for Ukraine to win the conflict and repel the Russian attack. However, it should be avoided at all costs that the Allies become part of the war.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said Russia’s actions in Ukraine were unforgivable. The world stands united against the government in Moscow. Ukraine is convinced that it can win this war. “Everybody does that here.”
«Comprehensive support for Ukraine»
The parliamentary groups of the traffic light coalition in Germany have meanwhile agreed on a joint proposal in which the delivery of heavy weapons to Ukraine is welcomed. However, the aid should be placed in the context of comprehensive efforts to achieve peace.
In the ten-page draft entitled “Defending peace and freedom in Europe – comprehensive support for Ukraine”, the SPD, Greens and FDP factions are primarily focusing on providing Ukraine with heavy weapons through the ring swap with Eastern European countries.
Legend:
The Cheetah tanks are intended to strengthen Ukraine’s defenses against the Russian army.
Reuters
The CDU/CSU parliamentary group has submitted its own motion for a resolution on the delivery of heavy weapons to Ukraine. It also calls for the surrender of heavy weapons from “available stocks” of the Bundeswehr.
The parliamentary director of the FDP parliamentary group, Johannes Vogel, expressed the hope that the Union parliamentary group would now join the coalition’s proposal.
Bundestag debates on template
It is now a matter of the Bundestag being united, said Vogel in Berlin. Ukraine needs heavy weapons to win the war. And in Russia, the conviction that you can take whatever you want militarily must be broken.
However, SPD parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich was more cautious. In the ARD he announced that the traffic light coalition wanted a broader approach to the debate. “I think the discussion of the last few days has a massive militaristic bias,” he criticized. The Bundestag is expected to debate and decide on the bill on Thursday.