Ukraine war: Germany promises to send modern air defence system, radar tracker
- Pledge comes a day after the US committed to delivering Himars long-range artillery systems to Ukraine – though delays have earned Germany widespread criticism
- Berlin to deliver 4 Mars II rocket launchers possibly by the end of June, in coordination with US military, which will train Ukrainian soldiers to use them
Germany is to supply Ukraine with multiple rocket launchers, a modern air defence system and a radar tracker to detect artillery, Chancellor Olaf Scholz told lawmakers on Wednesday, after delays that have earned the country widespread criticism.
Germany plans to deliver four Mars II multiple rocket launchers to Ukraine from its military stocks, if possible by the end of June, in close coordination with the United States, according to government sources. The US will train Ukrainian soldiers to use the systems.
The Bundeswehr has been using the Mars II missile launchers, able to hit targets between 10 and 40 kilometres (six to 25 miles) away, since 1990.
Berlin’s pledge comes a day after the US committed to delivering Himars long-range artillery systems to Ukraine, as long as Kyiv agreed not to attack targets on Russian territory.
Germany will also send Diehl’s Iris-T air defence system, the most modern that Berlin has at its disposal, Scholz said. He said it would “put Ukraine in a position to protect an entire large city from Russian air attacks”.
The German government’s goal is to ensure that Russian President Vladimir Putin “does not win” the war he started in Ukraine, Scholz said during a budget debate in the Bundestag. “Our goal is for Ukraine to be able to defend itself and succeed in doing so.”