Status: 03/30/2022 7:54 p.m
According to media reports, the federal government is preparing new arms deliveries to Ukraine. This could include bazookas, mortars and drones. Defense Minister Lambrecht has “no concerns”.
The federal government is apparently facing further arms deliveries to Ukraine. According to information from the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” (SZ), the government has a list of armaments worth around 300 million euros that could be delivered to Ukraine at short notice.
These are not weapons and equipment from Bundeswehr stocks, but goods that the industry can deliver immediately or without much advance notice.
The Ministry of Defense had requested such a list after the government promised further military aid at the request of Ukraine. The Bundeswehr has issued anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles from its own stocks.
Allegations against Lambrecht
Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) has “no concerns” about the deliveries, the newspaper reported, citing the ministry. There, however, reference is made to the fact that the Federal Security Council, which is meeting in secret, must first decide on this. It has also not yet been clarified who concludes the contracts and who pays for them.
On Wednesday, during her inaugural visit to the US capital Washington, Lambrecht again emphasized the “close cooperation” with Ukraine in the face of the Russian war of aggression. She had previously met US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
According to a report by “Welt”, however, Lambrecht may have delayed the delivery of weapons. The newspaper reported that the largest German armaments company, Rheinmetall, had already sent a list of available weapons to the Ministry of Defense on February 28.
Weapons and ammunition with a total order value of more than half a billion euros are listed on it, which the company can deliver to Ukraine at short notice, writes the “Welt”. Alternatively, it was offered to deliver the goods to the Bundeswehr within a few months if they in turn immediately passed on identical or similar weapons from their depots to the Ukraine.
The documents show that Rheinmetall did not receive an answer to the list of offers until at least March 25 – almost four weeks, the “Welt” reported.
Equipment deficits in the Bundeswehr make deliveries more difficult
The Bundeswehr itself had already issued anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles – some of them from old GDR stocks. Due to its own equipment deficits, however, it is hardly able to do without further material.
According to “SZ” information, the list of goods that may have to be delivered includes around 200 products. These include 2,650 Matador-type rocket-propelled grenades worth around 13 million euros and 18 reconnaissance drones, which could be delivered immediately. In addition, mortars, machine guns, 3,000 sets of night vision devices, thousands of protective vests and helmets are on the list.
In addition, eight ground surveillance radar devices and other systems for airspace surveillance, unprotected and protected vehicles – from coaches to armored SUVs – are on the list.