Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that Germany will equip Ukraine with the IRIS-T advanced air defense and radar systems, boosting up weapons supplies amid complaints that Berlin is not doing enough to assist Kyiv in its struggle against Russia.
“The government has decided that we will send the IRIS-T system – the most modern system that Germany currently possesses,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told parliament.
According to Scholz, the IRIS-T missiles were developed in collaboration with other NATO states, and Berlin will be “sending more weapons” to Ukraine.
Scholz also stated that Germany will provide radar equipment to Ukraine to aid in the detection of hostile fire.
Scholz’s administration has decided to deliver heavy weaponry to Ukraine, including self-propelled howitzers and Leopard tanks, after coming under intense pressure in recent weeks.
“We have been delivering continuously since the beginning of the war,” Scholz added, citing more than 15 million rounds of ammunition, 100,000 hand grenades, and 5,000 anti-tank mines shipped to Ukraine since Russia’s February 24 invasion.
Following a series of failures in the weeks following their invasion, Russian soldiers shifted their emphasis to the Donbas region, with the goal of capturing areas not previously occupied by Moscow-backed separatists.
According to the mayor of Severodonetsk, Russian soldiers have captured half of the eastern Ukrainian city in a “frenzied push,” which is critical to Moscow’s aspirations to rapidly complete the conquest of the industrial Donbas area.
By Wednesday, Russian troops had taken control of the majority of Severodonetsk. Russian soldiers are attempting to gain complete control of the city, which is causing fierce fighting.
According to military analysts, the Donbas conflicts are a race against time, with the Kremlin trying to win before additional Western weapons arrive to boost Ukraine’s defenses.
The West is seeking to tip the scales in its favor.
On Tuesday, President Joe Biden stated that the US will equip Ukraine with the advanced rocket weapons that its officials have requested.
According to Biden, the rocket launchers would allow Ukraine to “more precisely strike key targets,” according to an editorial published in The New York Times.
On Monday, Biden stated that the US will not supply Ukraine “rocket systems that can strike into Russia.”
Russia slammed Washington’s decision to supply advanced rocket systems to Ukraine on Wednesday, warning that the action raises the likelihood of a direct conflict between the two countries.
SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES
