Germany readies new aid package for Ukraine worth $430 million.
Berlin is preparing an aid package worth 400 million euros (£430 million) for Ukraine, including munitions, armored vehicles, and clothes and generators for the upcoming winter, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius told Bild on Sept.
18. The German official said that the new assistance tranche will include explosive and mortar ammunition, rockets, armored vehicles, and demining equipment. Berlin also wants to help Ukraine prepare for the next winter by sending clothes and generators as Kyiv fears mass Russian strikes against Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
When asked about the possibility of providing Ukraine with Taurus long-range missiles, Pistorius said that the decision has not yet been made as Berlin has to consider a "variety of political, legal, military and technical aspects." Ukraine has long been seeking to acquire Taurus missiles in addition to the long-range missiles provided by France and the U.K. The German leadership has been so far reluctant to provide the weaponry, reportedly fearing that the missiles with a range of 500 kilometers could be used to strike against Russian territory.
According to Pistorius, Germany does not currently plan to join the fighter jet coalition either, and will instead focus on providing hardware such as Leopard 2A6 or IRIS air defense systems. Berlin announced its previous military aid package worth £770 million at the NATO summit in Vilnius, including two Patriot launchers, 24 Leopard 1A5 tanks, 40 Marder infantry fighting vehicles, and 20,000 artillery rounds.
German MPs urge Scholz to provide Ukraine with Taurus missiles A group of three German MPs have sent a letter to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to demand the delivery of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine, Der Spiegel reported on Sept.
14. They argue that Ukraine needs the long-range missiles to "specifically weaken Russian war logistics" amidst the ongoing count...
Martin FornusekNews Editor
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press.
He also volunteers as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukrainer.
Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.