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Germany will not reduce military support for Ukraine, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Wednesday, amid fears that Berlin could disappoint Kiev over a tight budget and reports that it will freeze new military aid to Ukraine.
"Germany's support for Ukraine will not stop. We have made provisions, signed [defense] agreements and secured financing in good time so that Ukraine can continue to fully rely on us in the future," Scholz said.
In August, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung (FAS) newspaper reported that Germany's Finance Ministry would not approve additional requests for military aid to Ukraine, due to budget constraints.
However, a spokesman for the German government later said that this report was "incorrect" and reiterated that Berlin would support Ukraine "as long as necessary".
Scholz spoke Wednesday at a military base near the northern town of Todendorf, where Germany's first medium-range air defense system, the IRIS-T SLM, was put into operation.
Even before the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) received the first unit of this anti-aircraft, Germany financed several IRIS-T SLM systems for Ukraine, where they mainly used to defend Kiev against Russian missile attacks.
So far, Germany has donated four of the 12 promised IRIS-T SLM anti-aircraft missiles to Kiev.
"In Ukraine, IRIS has shot down more than 250 missiles, drones and cruise missiles so far, and saved countless lives, with an astonishing average accuracy of 95 percent or more," Scholz said.
With a range of 40 kilometers and 360-degree visibility, the system, built by German arms manufacturer Diehl, has been used to shoot down cruise missiles – used by Russia to attack power plants – and also fighter jets, including Iranian-made drones, Shahed./ REL
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