This Tuesday, senior military officials and defense ministers from around 50 countries will discuss further support for Ukraine in the war against Russia at the US air force base in Ramstein. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin invited the members of the so-called Ukraine Contact Group to the conference at the largest air base outside the United States. As at four previous meetings, representatives from states that are not members of NATO are also expected. Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius is not there because of corona illness.
Ukraine has long been calling for longer-range weapon systems such as Taurus-Cruise missiles from Germany and ATACMS-Short-range missiles from the USA. President Joe Biden is reportedly close to releasing the shipment. In Germany, pressure is also growing on Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), Ukraine with the Taurus-support cruise missiles.
How the Chancellor has justified his hesitation so far: According to the manufacturer, the air-launched cruise missiles have a range of more than 500 kilometers – meaning Ukraine could use them to attack targets on Russian territory that lie far behind the border. A change in range through a software update is possible – whether and what has been done in this regard is unclear. They are required Taurus from Ukraine for a long time.
Shortly before the start of the Ramstein meeting, Defense Minister Pistorius announced on Monday further arms aid beyond the coveted cruise missiles: a package worth 400 million euros. “We are supplying additional ammunition: explosive ammunition, mortar ammunition, mine rockets. Because ammunition is what Ukraine needs most in its defense against the brutal war of aggression,” said Pistorius. Vehicles and mine clearance systems are also on the list, as are warm clothing and electricity and heat generators. Another topic in Ramstein will be whether there could be more support for training the Ukrainian military.
According to an overview by the federal government, Germany has earmarked a total of around 5.4 billion euros for primarily military support for Ukraine this year, after two billion euros in the previous year. There are commitment authorizations amounting to around 10.5 billion euros for the following years.
Zelensky pushes, Pistorius hesitates
It remained unclear whether the equipment mentioned by Pistorius was completely new announcements – the Ministry of Defense did not comment on this on Monday evening when asked by the German Press Agency. The List of planned German support services published online In addition to ammunition, it already includes around 17 field heaters and mobile mine clearance systems.
Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky in particular is currently using almost every opportunity to express the desire for German Tauruscruise missiles. The arms deliveries are also likely to play a central role in his speech to the United Nations in New York this week.
But it’s not just the Chancellor who is hesitant, Defense Minister Pistorius was also cautious the day before the Ramstein meeting. “It is the duty of the entire federal government to weigh every arms shipment very carefully,” he said. A variety of political, legal, military and technical aspects need to be clarified. On the question of whether Taurus could be used without the help of Bundeswehr soldiers, Pistorius said: “This is also one of the questions that we are clarifying.”