Germany is significantly expanding its military aid to Ukraine, which is under Russian attack. After a phone call between Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and US President Joe Biden early Thursday evening, both expressed “their unbreakable solidarity with Ukraine” “in the face of the unleashed aggression of the Russian Federation.”
For this reason, as announced by Biden the night before, the United States intends to “provide Ukraine with Bradley-type armored personnel carriers” as a possible option.
The statement also states that “Germany intends to supply Marder-type armored personnel carriers.” The government also provides a Patriot anti-aircraft system.
Training on the tanks in Germany planned
As with the Panzerhaubitze 2000 or the Gepard anti-aircraft tanks, Ukrainian armed forces in Germany are to be trained on the systems. According to reports, the aim is for Kyiv to receive the 40 martens, which could come from both the Bundeswehr and industrial stocks, in the first quarter of this year. After Chancellor Scholz had long refused the delivery of main battle tanks on the grounds that he “did not want to go it alone” on this issue, he seemed to have come under pressure from an announced French delivery of reconnaissance tanks as well as from Biden’s announcement.
Traffic light welcomes martens, argues about leopards
The commitment was welcomed in the evening, above all by those who had long campaigned for this type of military aid in the traffic light coalition. “The martens are coming – finally,” wrote Sara Nanni, the defense policy spokeswoman for the Greens parliamentary group, on Twitter: “Good decision by the Chancellor!”
The FDP defense politician Marcus Faber described the decision to the Tagesspiegel as “overdue”: “The fact that Ukraine’s request for further tank deliveries is finally being met is a strong achievement by the Free Democrats.”
As Chair of the Defense Committee, Liberal Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann wrote on Twitter of her “great relief.” At the same time, she announced: “We will not give up. After the marten comes the leopard.”
“When it comes to really heavy main battle tanks like the American Abrams, the French Leclerc or our Leopard 2, there is still a certain reluctance among all allies, and for good reason,” Nils Schmid, the SPD’s foreign policy spokesman in the Bundestag, told the Tagesspiegel.
At the same time, he welcomed Scholz’s new decision, which also included the delivery of a Patriot missile defense system: “For the SPD there were and are no taboos with regard to arms deliveries for Ukraine – they just have to be coordinated with our partners.”
Russia plans short ceasefire, Ukraine demands withdrawal
After the heavy fighting of the past few days, Russia is meanwhile aiming for a temporary ceasefire over the Orthodox Christmas holidays. President Vladimir Putin instructed the defense minister that Russian troops cease fire between noon January 6 and midnight the following day, the Kremlin said on Thursday.
Ukraine rejects such a ceasefire. Before a cease-fire, Russian troops must leave Ukraine, said an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
To home page
