Germany to send rocket launchers, armored cars to Ukraine

German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht announced on Thursday that Germany will send two more multiple rocket launchers as well as 50 armored personnel carriers to Ukraine.

On top of that, Germany will send some 200 rockets for the launchers. Ukraine has recently called on Germany to increase its weapons deliveries following a successful counteroffensive against the Russian occupation.

"We have decided to deliver two more MARS II multiple rocket launchers including 200 rockets to Ukraine," Lambrecht told a Bundeswehr conference. "On top of this, we will send 50 Dingo armored personnel carriers to Ukraine," she added.

The defense minister also said that training on the MARS II launchers for Ukrainian operators was expected to begin in September.

Greece will soon send 40 infantry fighting vehicles — Soviet-built BMP-1 Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs) — to Ukraine on the completion of a deal in which Greece would receive 40 German Marder IFVs — in turn, Lambrecht said.

Germany still not meeting Ukrainian demands

Germany has been repeatedly criticized by Ukraine for dragging its feet on weapons deliveries. They have called for Leopard tanks and Marder armored personnel carriers.

After initial hesitation by the German government to send any weapons to Ukraine due to it being an active war zone, Germany supplied the Ukrainian military with equipment, ammunition and anti-aircraft tanks.

It has also pledged to send more than €500 million worth of weapons in 2023 to help Ukraine fend off the Russian invasion.

But pressure on Germany has grown as Ukraine's surprise counteroffensive saw it regain large stretches of land from Russian forces.

Berlin still insists on sending all weapons supplies in coordination with its close allies. Lambrecht has previously defended her ministry against accusations of failing to provide necessary weapons to Ukraine by saying that her first duty is to ensure the German Bundeswehr is well enough equipped to defend the country.

She has also argued that coordinating deliveries of Soviet-built tanks from Eastern European countries would allow much quicker deployment than the German state-of-the-art Leopard II tanks which require weeks of training.

While voices from the two minor partners in the coalition government — the Greens and business-friendly FDP — have called for deliveries of heavy weapons to Ukraine, the Social Democrats under Chancellor Olaf Scholz seem reluctant.

While there have been many excuses given, some believe that the main reason is to avoid the unpleasant optics of German tanks facing off against Russian tanks as they last did during the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union.

ab/kb (Reuters, dpa)