Germany pledges three billion euros to Ukraine

Zelensky was in Italy when the news came in

Germany pledges three billion euros to Ukraine

Volodymyr Zelensky with Italian PM Giorgia Meloni. Pic/PTI

Germany will provide Ukraine with additional military aid worth more than 2.7 billion euros (3 billion), including tanks, anti-aircraft systems and ammunition, the government said on Saturday. The announcement came as preparations were underway in Berlin for a possible first visit to Germany by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy since Russia invaded his country last year.

Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said that Berlin wants to show with the latest package of arms that “Germany is serious in its support” for Ukraine. “Germany will provide all the help it can, as long as it takes,” he said. While Zelenskyy’s visit on Sunday has yet to be officially confirmed, it would be a sign that relations between Ukraine and Germany have improved markedly after a rocky patch.

Kyiv has long been suspicious of Germany’s reliance on Russian energy and support for the Nord Stream gas pipelines circumventing Ukraine, defended by then Chancellor Angela Merkel. Her successor, Olaf Scholz, agreed to phase out Russian energy imports after the invasion, but initially hesitated to provide Ukraine with lethal weapons, fearing Germany could be drawn into the conflict.

Also Read: Russia-Ukraine conflict: Zelenskyy addresses EU Parliament as he seeks more weapons

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier was disinvited from Ukraine last year, prompting annoyance in Germany, which pointed out that it has given considerable financial aid to Kyiv and taken in more than a million Ukrainian refugees. Scholz eventually visited Kyiv with French President Emmanuel Macron and other leaders in June.

The new military aid package, first reported by German weekly Der Spiegel, includes 30 Leopard 1 A5 tanks, 20 Marder armoured personnel carriers, more than 100 combat vehicles, 18 self-propelled Howitzers, 200 reconnaissance drones, four IRIS-T SLM anti-aircraft systems and other air defense equipment.

The Ukrainian president would be arriving from Rome, where he met with Pope Francis and Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni. Berlin police confirmed last week that they are preparing for a possible visit by Zelenskyy and have imposed a security cordon throughout much of the capital’s government district Sunday.

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