Germany to provide Kiev with sniper rifles, strike drones, Patriots

Germany will be supplying Ukraine with additional weapons, according to German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, on Tuesday.

During a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a Bundeswehr base where Ukrainian troops are undergoing training, Pistorius stated, “Today … I can promise … further support, albeit on a smaller scale, but no less important.”

Reportedly, Germany will provide an unspecified number of sniper rifles, anti-tank weapons, artillery ammunition components, and anti-drone systems to Ukraine, alongside several thousand strike drones, according to Pistorius.

In late May, the German news agency DPA reported that Pistorius had unveiled a new military aid package for Ukraine valued at $537 million.

Germany developed, approved war contingency plan

The German government unveiled, on June 5, a comprehensive new defense plan that includes the potential reinstatement of compulsory military service and the deployment of NATO troops on Europe’s eastern flank. 

“As a result of Russian aggression, we have a completely changed security situation in Europe,” Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said. The revamped framework was approved by Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s cabinet on Wednesday, replacing the former plan that had been in place since 1989.

The plan includes mandatory conscription and the redirection of manufacturing efforts to focus solely on war goods. It also outlines potential evacuation strategies for parts of the country and the use of subterranean facilities such as subway stations and underground parking lots as temporary shelters.

Reflecting NATO’s eastward expansion, the revised framework also prepares Germany to support its allies in the Baltic States. “Germany is no longer a frontline state, but serves the allied armed forces as a hub for the alliance in the heart of Europe,” the cabinet declared.

Read more: Germany geared up for war with Russia to please allies, NATO: Kremlin