Germany wants to supply heavy weapons to Ukraine in the war against Russia – including multiple rocket launchers. The Ukrainian ambassador Andriy Melnyk said the extradition wasn’t going fast enough.
The Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany, Andriy Melnyk, has again called for a speedy delivery of the weapons promised by Germany.
He was satisfied with the recent announcement by Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) to send weapons such as the Iris-T air defense system to Ukraine, said Melynk in the ZDF “Morgenmagazin”. “But if we’re honest, 100 days of war, so far not a single piece of heavy equipment has been delivered to Ukraine from Germany.” The first weapons would probably not arrive until the end of June. “You can see how precarious the situation is.”
On Wednesday in the Bundestag, the chancellor announced the delivery of 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.
In the past few weeks, the federal government had already made two commitments for the delivery of heavy weapons: 50 Gepard anti-aircraft tanks and 7 Panzerhaubitzen 2000 – modern artillery pieces with a range of 40 kilometers – are to be delivered to the Ukraine. But they haven’t gotten there yet. The opposition has repeatedly accused Scholz of hesitation in recent weeks.
Melnyk said Ukraine’s first goal is to retake the territories occupied by Russia for 100 days. Ukraine sees the superiority with which Russia is waging the war of aggression, one fifth of Ukrainian territory is occupied. It also remains the goal to bring back Crimea, which has been annexed since 2014.
