Germany reaches limit in arms deliveries to Kiev

The German Armed Forces can’t send any more weapons to Ukraine if they want to retain their ability to defend their own nation, Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht told the German government on Tuesday. As the defense minister, her focus is Germany’s national security, she added.

“I have to admit, as the Minister of Defense, … we are reaching the limits of what we can give away from the Bundeswehr [stocks],” Lambrecht told the cabinet during a meeting on Tuesday. The German Armed Forces – the Bundeswehr – must be able to “guarantee” security at the regional and national levels, she said, vowing to ensure that this “continues to be the case.” 

Germany has been supplying Kiev with various weapons since the onset of the conflict in Ukraine in February. Berlin has delivered Stinger anti-aircraft missile systems, Panzerhaubitze 2000 self-propelled howitzers, and Gepard anti-aircraft gun tanks to Ukraine, among other weapons.

Lambrecht had previously already said that the Bundeswehr’s ability to supply Kiev with weapons was limited. Germany could not “give away much more,” she warned as early as mid-July.

Meanwhile, the head of the German parliament’s Defense Committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, called on the government to continue to supply Ukraine from the Bundeswehr stocks. Germany could especially spare some Marder infantry fighting vehicles, she said last week, adding that this military hardware can then be replaced by the German defense industry.