Sylvie Claire / May 6, 2022
Germany will supply seven armored howitzers to Ukraine to help it fend off the Russian invader, the Defense Ministry said Friday, somewhat increasing its efforts to deliver heavy weapons to Kiev.
The announcement was made by the Minister of Defense Christine Lambrecht, currently visiting Slovakia, said the same source.
The Panzerhaubitze 2000 (Armoured Howitzer Model 2000) is a self-propelled gun manufactured by the Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) company. The devices for Ukraine come from the maintenance stocks of the Bundeswehr, said the minister, without specifying when the deliveries would take place.
Ukrainian soldiers will be trained in their use in Germany starting next week.
They will be added to five other howitzers of the same type that the Netherlands recently announced it would supply to Kiev.
The German army has about a hundred howitzers 2000, but only about forty of them are operational.
Olaf Scholz's government has been severely criticized in Germany, but also by European partners such as the Baltic States and Poland, who consider its military support for Ukraine too timid.
After limiting its deliveries to defensive weapons, Berlin finally decided to send heavy equipment and announced at the end of April that it wanted to supply Kiev with Guepard type tanks.