German arms maker offers weapons to Ukraine as Scholz, Zelensky discuss additional sanctions
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A file photo of the Howitzers of the German armed forces Bundeswehr.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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BERLIN (REUTERS) - Ukraine has received an offer of a sizeable shipment of self-propelled howitzer weapons from a German armaments company, a German government source said on Sunday (April 10).
German weekly Welt am Sonntag had reported on Saturday that armaments manufacturer Krauss-Maffei Wegmann offered 100 howitzers, a type of artillery weapon, to Ukraine, quoting anonymous government sources in Kyiv.
"This offer exists," the German source said to Reuters, without providing further details.
The Welt am Sonntag report said that the manufacturer did not currently have the weaponry ready for delivery and so had suggested that Germany's military offer 100 of its own howitzers to Kyiv and the manufacturer would then deliver the new weapons to Germany's army once ready - likely from the second half of 2024.
Krauss-Maffei Wegmann was not immediately available for comment. A spokesman for the German defence ministry declined to comment.
Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Feb 24, Germany reversed its long-held policy of not sending weapons to conflict zones and said it would supply Strela missiles, among other arms, to Ukraine.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Friday it was important that Germany supply only weapons that Ukraine's army will know how to use, such as older equipment from the army of former Communist East Germany.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday he had spoken on the phone with Mr Scholz on the possibility of additional sanctions on Russia, as well as fresh defence and financial support for his country. He made the statement on Twitter.
Mr Zelensky has called for an embargo on imported gas and oil from Russia, but Germany so far resisted pressure to do so.
Mr Scholz said on Friday that Germany could end Russian oil imports this year but stopping gas imports would be tougher because the country would need to build infrastructure to import gas from alternative sources.
Russian oil accounts for 25 per cent of German imports, down from 35 per cent before the Feb 24 invasion.
Gas imports to Germany from Russia have been cut to 40 per cent from 55 per cent, and hard coal imports to 25 per cent from 50 per cent.
A statement from Mr Scholz’s office on the call did not mention a discussion of sanctions, saying Mr Zelensky had informed the chancellor of "the current situation and negotiations between Ukraine and Russia".
Mr Scholz's office said the chancellor condemned what he said were war crimes by Russia’s military in Bucha and other parts of Ukraine on the call and that the German government would ensure perpetrators were identified and brought before national and international courts.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Saturday that Russian forces appeared to have committed war crimes by targeting civilians in Ukraine, but that the matter needed to be investigated by lawyers.
Mr Zelensky’s office also said in a separate statement that the president had held a conference call with Ukrainian officials during which Kyiv’s proposals for a sixth package of European Union sanctions had been developed.
