Germany to Expand Military Aid to Ukraine
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced on Wednesday at a press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Berlin that his country would expand its military aid to Ukraine.
The Gaze reports on this with reference to European Pravda.
The chancellor did not go into details about the planned military aid, but he did reveal some information.
‘I can say that our military support will continue and will be expanded so that Ukraine can defend itself against Russian aggression now and in the future. In this regard, I would like to say that we will provide a significant portion of the funds for Starlink for Ukraine,’ Merz said.
He also announced that the defence ministers of both countries will sign a declaration of intent today regarding Germany's purchase of Ukrainian-made long-range systems.
At the same time, Merz emphasised that there should be no restrictions on Ukraine's use of long-range weapons. ‘Ukraine will be able to defend itself fully,’ the German chancellor said.
President Zelensky, for his part, noted that he was pleased with the new agreements on joint projects for joint production. ‘We will not publicly disclose all the details. But today we have agreements on investments in production in Ukraine, primarily weapons. This is the production of drones,’ he said.
Zelenskyy explained that this refers to the financing of new projects that are already in place: ‘We simply want them to be in the quantities that we need. Today, the first steps will be taken towards financing between our countries.’
Later this day, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius and Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov signed an agreement in Berlin on financing Ukrainian-made long-range weapons. The German minister promised a wide range of support, totalling around €5 billion, the German Ministry of Defence reports.
Umerov arrived in Berlin as part of a visit by a Ukrainian delegation led by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. A number of key agreements were reached during the visit.
In particular, Germany will finance the production of long-range weapons in Ukraine. The first systems financed under this scheme may be transferred to the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the coming weeks.
Their advantage is that they are already in service, which allows them to be put into operation immediately without additional training of personnel. According to the German Ministry of Defence, a significant number of weapon systems could be produced in 2025, but no details have been provided.
Germany will also continue to supply artillery shells, air defence systems, ground weapons and small arms.
A contract has also been signed with the German defence company Diehl for the supply of air defence systems and related ammunition.
Germany plans to invest in repair infrastructure. There are plans to create repair facilities in Ukraine, with a joint venture between Ukrainian and German defence companies.
In addition, Germany will provide support in the areas of communications and medicine.
‘These measures to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine have a total value of around five billion euros. The funds come from the budget already approved by the Bundestag,’ the statement said.
On Monday, 26 May, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that weapons supplied by Germany to Ukraine are no longer subject to restrictions on range and, therefore, on use against Russian territory.
As The Gaze reported earlier, Germany and Europe will continue to support Ukraine in order to prevent Russia from completely destroying the peace and security order on the continent and in the world, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in his first government speech to the Bundestag.