Germany will not slacken in its military support for Ukraine, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Wednesday, trying to dispel fears that Berlin might disappoint Kyiv amid a domestic budget squeeze and media reports of a freeze on new German military aid to the war-torn nation.
“Germany’s support for Ukraine will not cease. We have made provisions, struck (defence) deals and secured the funding in good time so that Ukraine can continue to fully rely on us in the future,” Scholz said.
European defence stocks fell in mid-August after a newspaper from the country reported that the German finance ministry would not approve additional applications for Ukraine military aid due to budget constraints.
A German government spokesperson had later called that report “incorrect” and reiterated Berlin’s support for Ukraine for “as long as necessary”.
Scholz was speaking at a military base close to the northern town of Todendorf, where Germany’s first IRIS-T SLM medium-range air defence system was declared operational.
Even before the Luftwaffe took delivery of its first unit, Germany funded several IRIS-T SLM systems for Ukraine, where they are mainly used to guard Kyiv against Russian missile attacks, making it one of the most coveted Western arms donations.
So far, Germany has supplied four out of a total 12 pledged IRIS-T SLM units to Kyiv, with two more systems to be shipped by the end of the year.
“In Ukraine, IRIS-T systems have shot down more than 250 Russian missiles, drones and cruise missiles so far and saved countless lives, at an impressive hit rate of 95% or even more,” Scholz said.
Boasting a range of some 40 km (25 miles) and a 360-degree coverage, the system built by German arms maker Diehl has been used to shoot down cruise missiles (fired by Russia to attack key power stations) aircraft and also Iran-made Shahed suicide drones.
Team Bharatshakti
(With inputs from Reuters)
