BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany will continue to support Ukraine militarily and financially although it has practically maxed-out the weapons it can deliver from its own stocks and is instead working with the armaments industry, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Tuesday.
Among the weapons that military equipment makers said they could deliver quickly and that Ukraine needed were anti-tank and air defence weapons, Scholz told a news conference after participating in a call with Western allies.
“We will provide the necessary money for the purchase,” Scholz said. “The aim is to strengthen the Ukrainian military such that it can push back the Russian attack.”
Asked if Germany would deliver high-end Leopard tanks to Ukraine, he said Berlin as well as its Western allies had come to the conclusion it made most sense to deliver weapons Ukrainians already knew how to use.
The allies were coordinating deliveries, he said.
Among those on the call were U.S. President Joe Bide, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, as well as the leaders of Poland, Japan and Italy.
(Reporting by Thomas Escritt; Writing by Sarah Marsh; Editing by Catherine Evans)
