German Defence Minister, Boris Pistorius has declared a 500 million euro ($542 million) aid package for Ukraine.
The aid package includes 10,000 rounds of much-needed ammunition for Kyiv.
“We have once again put together an aid package worth almost half a billion euros,” Pistorius told reporters on the sidelines of the 20th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) in Ramstein, Germany.
He added that he had nothing to add to Berlin’s position that there would be no boots on the ground in Ukraine after the French President, Emmanuel Macron said that Ukraine’s allies could send troops to Kyiv to aid its war efforts.
Pistorius also believes that the United States remains a reliable partner.
“I have no doubt about the reliability of the Americans. There are particularities in the political systems, and we have to deal with that,” he stressed.
Germany has already committed to provide €7 billion in military aid to Ukraine this year.
Moreso, Pistorius disclosed that he had spoken with his counterpart from the Czech Republic over the scale of Germany’s participation in Prague’s joint procurement initiative aimed at buying 800,000 artillery shells outside the EU.
He added that Berlin would help pay for 180,000 rounds.
Reacting to the news, Ukraine’s defense ministry posted on X, “We are grateful to our German friends for their steadfast support! Together, to victory!”
Ukraine’s defence ministry also announced that Finland will provide 30 million euros ($32.7m) to procure artillery shells for Ukraine via the Czech initiative.
“We are grateful to our Finnish partners for this important decision and unwavering support. Together, we will win!,” the ministry wrote on X.
Germany Orders Missiles From U.S
Also on Tuesday, Germany’s air force ordered 75 powerful U.S cruise missiles at a cost of eight billion euros.
It is the latest of efforts to build up Berlin’s defences in the face of a potential Russia-NATO war.
The JASSM-ER missiles have an estimated range of 900km, making them a near equivalent of the Taurus missile system which German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz has so far refused to send to Ukraine.
Scholz claims that such deliveries supposedly require the presence of German soldiers on the ground.
Scholz also believes that in the event of providing the Ukrainian Armed Forces with Taurus missiles, they could “reach a specific target somewhere in Moscow” if used incorrectly.
It comes after Boris Pistorius, the German Defence Minister, vowed to ensure that his country is war-ready via a major increase in funds and resources for the German army.
It is amid concerns that a war between Moscow and NATO could erupt within five to eight years.
It was not immediately clear whether Berlin had ordered the new missiles for stockpile purposes, or to use them as replacements for an outgoing shipment of missiles to another country.
Berlin has been interested in buying JASSM-ER missiles from Washington since 2022, and stated that a formal purchase contract is expected to be signed this Autumn.
On Monday, March 18, 2024, Pistorius urged European countries to be ready to counter any military threat.
“We are preparing for every threat we have to face in the years to come,” Boris Pistorius said during a visit to neighboring Poland, which also borders Ukraine.
“Nobody really knows whether or when Russia will attack any country in Europe. But what we really see is that it is able and willing to attack Ukraine, and has doing it now for more than two years. So what we have to learn all together as allies in Europe is to be prepared for any threat, especially for a threat which comes from Putin’s Russia in any year.”
Boris Pistorius
“This is a task we have to do, and this is what we are working on,” he added.
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