Seven German self-propelled Howitzer 2000s have arrived in Ukraine, marking the first delivery of German heavy weaponry to reach the country since the Russian invasion began almost four months ago. Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov thanked his German counterpart Christine Lambrecht on Twitter for the weapons, while Ukraine’s ambassador to Germany, Andriy Melnyk, also expressed his gratitude. Melnyk however said Kyiv hoped “this was only the first important step in strengthening the defence capabilities of the Ukrainian army”, and called on the German government to keep the deliveries coming. “The German defence industry is ready to produce 100 new self-propelled Howitzers for Ukraine at short notice. We very much hope that Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the German Security Council will approve the relevant request,” Melnyk said. The Howitzer 2000 is the Bundeswehr’s most modern piece of artillery. Resembling a huge tank, it can hit targets at a distance of 40km (25 miles). Reznikov described the delivery as “an example of international cooperation in support of Ukraine”, adding that he appreciated the efforts of the German and Dutch defence ministers. Ukraine strikes Black Sea oil platform used as Russian military installation The German government has been criticised in recent weeks, initially for hesitating to pledge heavy weaponry and later for its perceived sluggishness in delivering the weapons. Berlin insisted this was due to required changes to defence industry protocols and making sure Ukrainian soldiers received the proper training to use the weapons in question. The German army has about 100 howitzer 2000s in its stocks, but only 40 are combat ready. The United States, France and other Ukraine allies have vowed further supplies of heavy weapons for Kyiv, and deliveries from Washington are due in Ukraine this month. Polish President Andrzej Duda meanwhile announced Poland had supplied more than 240 tanks and 100 armoured vehicles to Ukraine, bringing Warsaw’s contribution to Ukraine’s military to over US$1.6 billion. However, Kyiv complains it has only received a fraction of what it needs and is clamouring for heavier weaponry. ‘Lost a lot of pilots’: Inside Ukraine’s secret, deadly rescue missions Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stressed the importance of continued weapons deliveries from the West in his Tuesday night video address, saying: “The lives of thousands of people directly depend on the speed of our partners”. In Russia on Tuesday, President Vladimir Putin announced the delivery of the first S-500 air defence systems to the Russian military. The S-500, which has a range of up to 600km, is capable of shooting down satellites and hypersonic weapons, according to the Russian military. Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse