Ukraine: Germany to deliver air defense system

Germany, criticized by Kyiv for its limited shipments of weapons, will deliver an advanced air defense system capable of "protecting a large city from Russian raids", Olaf Scholz announced on Wednesday.

Ukraine: Germany to deliver air defense system

Germany, criticized by Kyiv for its limited shipments of weapons, will deliver an advanced air defense system capable of "protecting a large city from Russian raids", Olaf Scholz announced on Wednesday.

"The German government has decided to provide the most modern air defense system available to Germany, the Iris-T system," the German Chancellor announced to the Bundestag.

This system “would allow Ukraine to protect an entire large city against Russian airstrikes”, argued the German leader, assuring that his country would “send more weapons” to Kyiv.

This air defense system is developed by the German manufacturer Diehl.

Germany will also deliver a radar system capable of detecting enemy artillery, he added.

Berlin is also continuing its indirect deliveries via other European countries.

Germany has thus reached an agreement with Greece for Athens to send Soviet-era military vehicles to Ukraine in exchange for more modern armor provided by Berlin. Germany had already struck a similar deal with the Czech Republic to help supply arms to Ukraine and is currently negotiating a deal with Poland.

The goal is to provide Ukraine with Soviet-era weapons that its army is proficient in and can use quickly to try to stop the Russian invasion. Germany wants to deliver 14 Leopard battle tanks and a Leopard armored vehicle to Prague in exchange for the Czechs sending T-72 tanks to Ukraine.

No date has yet been set for delivery, however, and Mr Scholz told parliament discussions were ongoing.

Mr. Scholz and his government, which have decided to invest 100 billion euros to modernize an army in a worrying state, are criticized by the opposition but also by the Ukrainian authorities for the supposed timidity of their arms deliveries to Kyiv.

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