Germany provides anti-aircraft artillery that has been retired since 2010 to Ukraine

German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht meets her Ukrainian counterpart Oleksii Reznikov (right) at the military base in Ramstein, Germany on April 26 – Photo: WSJ

According to CNN, the commitment to transfer the system cannons Flakpanzer Gepard air defense was announced by Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht during a meeting of international defense officials at the US airbase located in Ramstein, Germany on April 26.

“We decided yesterday that we would support Ukraine’s air defense system… That’s exactly what Ukraine needs to defend its airspace from the ground,” Ms Lambrecht said during a meeting at the base. keep.

This decision by Berlin is significant because it is the first time that Germany has agreed to provide this type of heavy weapon to Ukraine to counter the Russian military campaign.

Initially, Germany opposed the supply of weapons to Kiev, agreeing only to humanitarian aid and medical equipment. That approach is consistent with Germany’s decades-old policy of not supplying lethal weapons to the crisis zone.

Just a few months before Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale military operation in Ukraine, the then German government agreed to submit a limited arms supply list.

However, under pressure from its allies, Berlin was forced to adjust the rules. At the end of February, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that the country would begin to deliver some weapons to Ukraine, although at the time Mr Scholz still referred to the weapons as “defensive”.

At the same time, Germany also announced that it would “pump” more money for its armed forces, including purchased 35 US-made F-35A fighters.