New weapon pack from Berlin
Germany sends more tanks to Ukraine
07/11/2023 11:42 am
On the fringes of the NATO summit in Vilnius, the German government announced another arms package for Ukraine. Part of the commitment are 40 armored personnel carriers and 25 main battle tanks, as well as ammunition and drones.
The new German weapons package for Ukraine announced in government circles on Monday has a volume of almost 700 million euros. This became known on the sidelines of the NATO summit in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius.
According to government sources, the package contained a further 40 Marder infantry fighting vehicles, an additional 25 Leopard 1A5 main battle tanks, five armored recovery vehicles from industrial stocks or industrial processing or production, and two launchers for Patriot anti-aircraft missiles from the Bundeswehr’s inventory. There are also 20,000 rounds of artillery ammunition and 5,000 rounds of smoke ammunition, as well as reconnaissance drones and anti-drone defenses.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said: “I am very pleased that we were able to put together another package here today in Vilnius to support Ukraine in its defensive struggle against the Russian attack. It serves Ukraine’s priorities: air defence, tanks, artillery.” With the “summit package” Germany is making an important contribution to strengthening Ukraine’s staying power.
No NATO membership, but a new body
On Monday, the federal government said there would be “very substantial” announcements in Vilnius. At the same time, the Ukrainian request for a formal invitation to NATO was clearly rejected: “The time has not come for an invitation from Ukraine, for concrete steps towards membership”. “There is no consensus among the allies either.”
The partnership with Ukraine is initially to be intensified by establishing a NATO-Ukraine Council, which is to meet four times a year. The first session is scheduled during the Vilnius Summit, which will take place today and tomorrow.
Ukraine’s request for a signal from Vilnius is not about admission during the war, but a promise that the country can join the defense alliance after the war is over.
Zelenskyj is also coming to Vilnius
Instead of promising NATO membership, the federal government wants to concentrate on the support that is now possible. Most recently, Chancellor Olaf Scholz promised Ukraine a weapons package worth 2.7 billion euros during the visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Berlin. This included 20 more Marder infantry fighting vehicles, 30 Leopard 1 tanks and 4 Iris-T SLM anti-aircraft systems.
Scholz landed in the Lithuanian capital in the morning. According to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Selenskyj will also attend the summit as a guest. “President Zelenskyj will come,” said Stoltenberg in Vilnius. Accordingly, the Ukrainian President will attend the dinner of the heads of state and government on Tuesday evening. He will attend the NATO-Ukraine Council meeting on Wednesday.
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said US President Joe Biden will meet with Zelenskyy in Vilnius on Wednesday. The topic of the conversation is said to be long-term security commitments by the USA for Ukraine. According to information from German government circles, Scholz is also planning a bilateral meeting with Selenskyj on Wednesday. Scholz wants to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as early as Tuesday afternoon.