Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius made a surprise trip to Ukraine. He doesn’t come empty-handed.
Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has promised Ukraine further German military aid worth 1.3 billion euros. “This will help you fight Russian aggression,” the minister said at a press conference with his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umyerov in the capital Kiev. Anti-aircraft defense is crucial for the defense capability of the attacked country.
According to Pistorius, additional Iris-T SLM anti-aircraft missile systems will be delivered. It also contains anti-tank mines and 155 mm NATO caliber artillery shells. “We’re talking about 20,000 additional grenades,” said Pistorius when asked. According to him, 140,000 shells of this caliber have already been announced for the coming year. However, Ukraine is estimated to have a daily requirement of more than 5,000 grenades. Pistorius only promised higher deliveries for 2025.
The head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Andrij Yermak, described the new support on social networks as a “wonderful aid package” from Germany and wrote about four Iris-T systems.
According to information on an overview list from the Ministry of Defense, Germany has already delivered three Iris-T SLM systems to Ukraine. Before Pistorius’ latest announcement, five more of these systems had already been announced there.
“There is no new information about Taurus”
Asked about a possible delivery of high-precision Taurus cruise missiles with a range of over 500 kilometers, the defense minister said: “There is no new information about Taurus.” Ukraine has been demanding the delivery of these German cruise missiles for a long time.
Pistorius had previously visited a Ukrainian army training center with Umjerov. In addition, a control center of a Patriot air defense system delivered from Germany was visited.
Ukraine has been fending off a Russian invasion with massive Western support for almost 21 months. According to calculations by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, Germany provides the second largest share of military aid after the USA.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
