Germany to provide Ukraine with €5 billion in aid: Which arms will be financed
Photo: German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Germany announced a new military aid package for Ukraine yesterday, worth approximately 5 billion euros. The funds will be used for weapons and equipment repairs, WELT reports.
According to the news agency, part of the funds will be allocated to support the production of Ukrainian long-range drones.
Sources from government circles told the newspaper that in May, Ukraine approached Germany's Ministry of Defense with a request to fund the production of long-range drones such as the Bars and An-196 Liutyi, as well as Flamingo-type UAVs. The German government agreed to the request — around 400 million euros may be allocated for this purpose.
Despite this, Germany continues to avoid the issue of supplying Taurus cruise missiles with a range of 500–600 kilometers, which only fuels the political debate. However, there are now doubts about whether Ukraine still needs the Taurus, as Ukrainian drones have already achieved similar ranges. The Liutyi can reach up to 600 kilometers, while the Bars drone-missile has a range of up to 800 kilometers.
The funds will also be used to supply four Iris-T systems from Diehl. In addition, the KNDS defense company will receive a contract to repair military equipment, including Gepard anti-aircraft systems. The repairs will be carried out in Ukraine.
Taurus from Germany
Earlier, German media reported that Germany had allegedly decided to classify its arms deliveries to Ukraine. Previously, all of Berlin’s support had been transparent and published online.
Yesterday, however, Ukraine and Germany signed an agreement to fund long-range weaponry produced in Ukraine. The total amount of funding will be 5 billion euros.
