Estonia wants to send guns
Germany blocks arms delivery to Ukraine
1/22/2022 1:23 am
To increase Ukraine’s defense capability, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia are sending weapons to Kiev. However, an Estonian delivery of guns fails due to Germany’s veto. Because the howitzers come from old GDR stocks.
According to a newspaper report, Germany is blocking Estonian military supplies to Ukraine. The Wall Street Journal, citing Estonian and German authorities, reported that the NATO ally was not given permission to send artillery pieces made in Germany. “Germany is very hesitant to supply us,” Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Resnikov told the newspaper. It also quoted a German government spokesman who referred to the export regulations. There is currently no permit and the outcome of the procedure cannot be estimated.
According to the “Wall Street Journal”, the guns are D-30 howitzers, the projectiles of which fly about 20 kilometers. The weapons originally manufactured in the Soviet Union were stationed in the former GDR. After reunification, the guns were exported to Finland. In 2009 they were passed on to Estonia.
An Estonian government adviser expressed hope that approval would still be obtained. In view of the tensions with Russia, the USA, Great Britain and Poland have agreed to send weapons to Ukraine. On Friday, however, Chancellor Olaf Scholz again rejected arms deliveries. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has also spoken out against it. On the other hand, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, chairwoman of the Defense Committee in the Bundestag for the FDP, has recently been open to discussing arms deliveries.
In addition to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania announced in a joint statement in the evening that they would supply US-made anti-tank missiles and anti-aircraft systems to Ukraine. This should strengthen Ukraine’s defense capability. Estonia will supply Javelin anti-tank missiles, Latvia and Lithuania Stinger anti-aircraft missiles and other equipment.
The United States agreed to the delivery of US-made weapons to Ukraine. “We sincerely hope that Ukraine will not have to use this equipment and call on the Russian Federation to stop its aggressive and irresponsible behavior,” the statement said.