Germany announces $3 billion military aid package for Ukraine: report

The announcement came on the eve of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s first visit to Germany since Russia invaded his country last year.

Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Berlin wanted to show with the latest arms package that “Germany is serious in its support of Ukraine”.

“Germany will provide all possible assistance as long as it takes,” he said.

Zelensky’s expected weekend visit – still not publicly confirmed by German officials for security reasons – is seen in Berlin as a sign that relations between Ukraine and Germany have improved markedly after a rocky patch .

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Kiev has long been suspicious of Germany’s reliance on Russian energy and support for the Nord Stream gas pipelines bypassing Ukraine, which was defended by then-Chancellor Angela Merkel.

His successor, Olaf Scholz, agreed to phase out Russian energy imports after the invasion, but initially hesitated to provide lethal weapons to Ukraine, fearing that Germany might be drawn into the conflict.

Washington, Warsaw and London have become more supportive of Ukraine’s efforts to defend itself, with Berlin getting the diplomatic cold shoulder from Kiev.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier was invited to Ukraine last year, prompting an outcry in Germany, which reported that it had given considerable financial aid to Kiev and taken in more than a million Ukrainian refugees. Scholz eventually visited Kiev in June with French President Emmanuel Macron and other leaders.

Although slow to provide military aid, Germany has since become one of the largest suppliers of arms to Ukraine, significantly giving the green light to deliveries of modern battle tanks such as its own Leopard 1 and 2. Also sophisticated anti-aircraft systems are needed. Defense against drone and missile attacks.

The new military aid package, first reported by German weekly Der Spiegel, includes 30 Leopard 1A5 tanks, 20 Marder armored personnel carriers, more than 100 combat vehicles, 18 self-propelled howitzers, 200 reconnaissance drones, four IRIS-T SLMs Opponents included. Aircraft systems and other air defense equipment. Ukraine’s military commanders said their troops captured more territory from Russian forces near the eastern city of Bakhmut, amid speculation of a possible retaliatory strike by Kiev.

The Ukrainian president will arrive from Rome, where he was meeting Pope Francis and Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni on Saturday.

Berlin police on Sunday set up a security cordon around most of the capital’s government district.

After meeting Scholz and other senior officials at the Chancellery, the two leaders are expected to travel to the western city of Aachen for Zelensky to receive the International Charlemagne Award for him and the people of Ukraine.

Organizers say the award recognizes that their resistance against Russia’s aggression is “not only a defense of their country’s sovereignty and the lives of its citizens, but also of Europe and European values.”

Zelensky last visited Berlin in July 2021. He also attended the Munich Security Conference in February, days before Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.