Germany is aiming to deliver around 40 combat vehicles and a Patriot air-defense system to Ukraine by the end of March as part of an effort to help the government in Kyiv in the event fighting intensifies in the spring.
(Bloomberg) — Germany is aiming to deliver around 40 combat vehicles and a Patriot air-defense system to Ukraine by the end of March as part of an effort to help the government in Kyiv in the event fighting intensifies in the spring.
The government in Berlin announced late Thursday in a joint statement with the US that it will supply Ukraine with Marder infantry fighting vehicles, as well as the Patriot. The administration in Washington said it will contribute Bradley Fighting Vehicles, providing a significant upgrade in firepower in the fight against Russia’s invasion along with similar armored AMX-10RCs France pledged on Wednesday.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz won praise from domestic allies for the move but some said it should have come much sooner and urged the government to supply even heavier kit such as NATO-grade Leopard 2 battle tanks.
Scholz’s chief spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said Friday that Germany and its allies had been discussing the latest shipment of arms for several weeks.
German troops will start training their Ukrainian counterparts on how to operate the Marders soon and the courses will take eight weeks, he told a regular government news conference in Berlin, adding that the goal is to have the Marders and the Patriot in Ukraine by the end of the first quarter.
Scholz was due to discuss the timeline and other details in a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy later on Friday, Hebestreit said.
The US has been pushing European allies to send more heavy weapons to Ukraine because it wants to enable the army there to regain as much territory as possible before any negotiations with Russia, according to a senior German government official, who asked not to be identified discussing confidential policy details.
Scholz was previously reluctant to deliver combat vehicles to the government in Kyiv, arguing that Germany shouldn’t act unilaterally and any decision should be coordinated with European Union and NATO partners.
Thursday’s announcement places Germany alongside the US in providing critical offensive and defensive kit and may spur other European nations to step up their contributions.
Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, a member of Scholz’s FDP coalition partner, said she was “very relieved” by the move to send Marders and called on the government to immediately add Leopard tanks to the package. If Germany gave the green light, other allies would follow suit and send their Leopards, she said Friday in an interview with public broadcaster NDR.
“If these are delivered in a later installment we’ll lose even more time and that is the big problem,” added Strack-Zimmermann, who chairs the lower house of parliament’s defense committee. “As long as Russia is attacking Ukraine we have to do everything that is in our power.”
Overall, Germany has been one of the most generous supporters of Ukraine, sending billions of euros in financial support and humanitarian aid alongside military equipment. The list of kit includes 30 Gepard armored anti-aircraft vehicles, 14 self-propelled howitzers, the IRIS-T air-defense missile system and five MARS II multiple-rocket launchers.
The decision on the Marders marks the biggest step yet for Scholz and is a decisive shift from his more cautious predecessor, Angela Merkel, who argued that deepening economic ties with Russia would mitigate the risk of military aggression.
Scholz is also attempting to deliver on his pledge in the early days of Russia’s invasion to strengthen Germany’s military after years of underfunding.
A quarter of German voters believe the government should be doing more to help Ukraine’s military, according to the latest infratest dimap poll for ARD conducted Jan. 2-4. However, a slightly higher proportion, or 26%, think that the support already goes too far, while just over 40% consider it appropriate at the current level.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Thursday’s US-German announcement was “a very important decision” and “truly a great victory for our country.”
Anton Hofreiter, a member of Scholz’s Greens coalition partner, was more critical, saying it had come “very, very late.” He urged the chancellor to match French President Emmanuel Macron in “showing leadership.”
“We have to be very clear that if these combat vehicles had been delivered sooner then fewer Ukrainian soldiers would have died,” Hofreiter, who heads parliament’s EU committee, said Friday in an interview with public broadcaster ARD.
“It would have also enabled the Ukrainians to liberate more occupied areas and free the people more quickly from Russian terror,” he added. “At the very least, we should immediately start training Ukrainian troops on the Leopard 2.”
–With assistance from Arne Delfs and Samy Adghirni.
(Recasts with details on timing, adds government spokesman)
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