Federal government remains vague on timing of arms deliveries

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BERLIN (dpa-AFX) – Despite Ukrainian calls for more clarity on the timing of the delivery of heavy weapon systems to the country attacked by Russia, the federal government is still keeping a low profile. For organizational reasons and security issues, it is tricky to talk about schedules, government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said in Berlin on Friday. The federal government has promised the delivery of heavy weapons, he emphasized. “The preparations are now in full swing so that this can work. But something like that doesn’t happen overnight.”

Hebestreit recalled the planned delivery of anti-aircraft vehicles such as the Gepard, the Panzerhaubitze 2000, the Iris-T anti-aircraft system and the Mars multiple rocket launcher. He understands the impatience, but these questions must be clarified and examined very thoroughly “before one makes a statement that one then possibly cannot hold”.

Ukrainian soldiers are currently being trained in Germany on weapons such as the Panzerhaubitze 2000, Hebestreit said. “In this respect, it makes sense that the weapons they are trained on are also in Germany.”

The Ukrainian ambassador in Germany, Andriy Melnyk, had previously criticized in the “Tagesspiegel” (online) that there was no clarity as to when the Mars multiple rocket launchers would come from the stocks of the armed forces would be handed over. “We expect the traffic light to quickly fulfill this promise because our troops need this weapon system most urgently to protect the Ukrainian civilian population from barbaric attacks by Russia.” In addition, one unit of the Iris-T air defense system is not enough. In the medium term, Ukraine needs at least ten more such systems, including ammunition, to strengthen its defense capability.

At the beginning of June, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) announced in the Bundestag that he would be supplying the Iris-T and a locating radar to be used to detect artillery positions. Germany also wants to deliver four multiple rocket launchers from Bundeswehr stocks to Ukraine./bk/DP/jha