The conflict in Ukraine has brought an end to An end to the German will, which, on the basis of historical and political grounds, prohibited weapons export to conflict zones.. This decision represents a turning point in the history of the Second World War. It responds, as Foreign Minister Olaf Scholz stated after the Russian invasion to the “new reality” the continent is facing. This forces us to restructure the German security policy. It’s a fact that has caused controversy. Berlin granted authorization to deliver 56 battle tanks to the Ukrainian Army that belonged to the army in the former German Democratic Republic (GDR) on Friday.
The Model PbV501 armored vehicles were equipped with machine guns and cannons, and were included in the standard equipment of Warsaw Pact armies. After the unification of Germany, the tanks fell into the hands the Bundeswehr, which gave them to the Swedish army in late 1990s. Later, they were sold to a Czech company that is trying to sell them to Ukraine’s military. German approval is needed for the transaction, as weapons that belonged originally to the Bundeswehr are not allowed to be sold to anyone without consent from the federal government. Christine Lambrecht, German Defense Minister, gave the green light to her transaction on Thursday.
The game has been rewritten by the new realities of war. The delivery was canceled in 2019. The delivery was canceled in 2019. Despite having been arming Ukraine from the beginning of the Russian invasion it refused to supply tanks and artillery. Although armored cars will be shipped now, it is still a novelty. However, the vehicles will need to be repaired, which will take several weeks.
Christine Lambrecht says that so far, Germany has not delivered weapons to Ukraine. About 80 million EurosThere will be more. According to information from the newspaper “Süddeutsche Zeitung”, Berlin has a list of weapons that could be delivered to Ukraine in the short term, worth about 300 million euros. These weapons and equipment are not the Bundeswehr’s, but products that the industry can deliver quickly or without notice. The federal army has delivered anti-tank missiles and anti-aircraft rockets to date, but the newspaper claims that it isn’t in a position for more material. The background is a dispute between the defense minister, who has repeatedly pointed out that there are very few weapons that the Bundeswehr can provide directly, and the Federal Security Council. This decision will be made internally first. The “Süddeutsche Zeitung” even publishes the list that includes 2,650 bazookas worth about 13 million euros and 18 reconnaissance drones, which could be delivered immediately. The list also contains machine guns, mortars and 3,000 sets night vision devices. There are also thousands of helmets and protective vests. There are eight ground surveillance radars as well other aerial surveillance system, protected or unprotected, vehicles of all sizes, from coaches and armored off-road cars to protect them. Germany is represented by this total.Ukraine is one of the largest arms exporting nations.