Germany has been blocking the supply of heavy weapons to Ukraine since June - Welt
Thus, several times a month, the Ministry of Defense of the country hosted meetings of high -ranking officials, where the Ukrainian side asked to increase the supply of previously provided weapons, but the request remained unheard, which is written by the German edition of Die Welt. It is reported that the meetings were also present in Germany's defense Minister Christine Lambrecht.
It is noteworthy that the Defense Ministry has argued that Germany itself needs these types of weapons, since it should fulfill its obligations to NATO. However, in a comment to Die Welt, the UK Minister of Defense said that helping Kiev would not have influenced Berlin's obligations to the Alliance in Eastern Europe. The material says that it is first and foremost about Panzerhaubitze 2000. The Armed Forces have already received ten copies of these weapons.
In addition, Kyiv asked Mars II volley fire. Germany put them in Ukraine in the number of three units. Journalists report that the Ukrainian side also asked to establish the supply of major combat tanks and armored personnel carriers. Back in April, Kyiv received an offer from the German arms group Rheinmetall on the supply of 100 Marder infantry fighting vehicles and 88 main LEOPARD combat tanks 1. The contract also provided for ammunition training and supply.
In total, Ukraine had to pay 268 million euros, and to receive the equipment in the shortest possible time. The application to the German government has been submitted, but Chancellor Olaf Solz has not yet reacted. The newspaper writes that at the end of April, Olaf Soltz said Germany had already broken its tradition by starting supplying weapons to the war zone. He also said that he was going to do it in the future, but only if he considers it necessary.
He justified the refusal to supply heavy weapons by the fact that Germany should not act alone. But, as the publication writes, since April the United States has already put a system of jet fire and howitzers in Ukraine. Other Western partners put pressure on Germany, which is why Berlin announced that he would hand over 30 specimens and self -propelled howitzers to Ukraine.
It is reported that at the end of June, the Bundestag MP Marie-Agnes Strak-Zimmerman wrote a letter in which she asked to hold a national conference on Ukraine to mobilize additional assistance. However, Scholz's office immediately refused. "We will not answer the letter right now," the reply of the Scholz press secretary in the edition. Earlier, Focus wrote that in Germany feared the strengthening of Russian propaganda and espionage.