Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Germany is looking into what additional maintenance and ammunition its stock of ageing Marder armoured infantry fighting vehicles will require to be ready for deployment by the Ukrainian military.
Baerbock addressed the rising chorus of criticism of Germany’s apparent hesitancy in delivering the weaponry Kyiv claims it needs to stave off Russian assault on the second day of a tour to the Baltic republics.
‘In terms of armoured vehicles and other armament that Ukraine requires, there are no taboos for us,’ she stated.
Berlin’s first objective, she added, was to ensure that Ukraine quickly received older Soviet-designed equipment that its military could handle without additional training, and that it would backfill the inventories of allies who had such armament on hand, replacing it with more modern German-made equipment.
When asked if Germany’s Leopard tank will be transferred to Ukraine, she noted that forces would need training to use such advanced equipment, which Berlin would pay for.
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