Yesterday at 16:36
Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany Andriy Melnyk appealed to the German government with a request to immediately provide Kyiv with 12,000 anti-tank missiles to protect Ukraine from a possible Russian ground offensive. Ukraine’s Ambassador said it in a commentary for Der Spiegel, a German news outlet.
“The situation is dramatic. Now we must be prepared for the worst scenario,” Melnyk stated.
In early February, the Ukrainian government sent a request to Berlin for providing electronic tracking systems, demining equipment, protective suits, digital radios, radars, or night vision devices. However, anti-tank missiles were out of that list.
Read also: Germany’s Scholz ventures to Kyiv amid warnings of war
February 14, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as part of his working visit to Kyiv. Unlike its NATO allies UK and the US, Germany has refused to send arms to Ukraine to help the country defend itself from possible Russian aggression. Kyiv wants Berlin to change that policy and send weapons.
Germany on Wednesday announced it’s offering 5,000 helmets to Ukraine amid fears a Russian invasion is around the corner, in a move that was denounced by Kyiv’s mayor Vitaliy Klitschko as a “joke.” The gesture followed days of strong criticism of Germany’s refusal to export weapons to Ukraine and the fact that Berlin hasn’t granted Estonia permission to send old German howitzers to the country. Berlin had previously refused to export protective military equipment such as helmets or vests.
Read also: NATO considering deployment combat groups in the Black Sea region, – Stoltenberg
Amid the growing threat of a new Russian invasion of Ukraine, a number of countries are sending their military assistance to support the Kyiv government. In general, the West’s military assistance to Ukraine amounted to $ 1.5 billion.
Read also: Ukraine to receive from Lithuania Stinger missile systems, – PM Šimonite
