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Germany will send weaponry to Ukraine, a major shift that could help Kyiv resist Russia
By
Michael Birnbaum1:47 p.m.
Germany on Saturday announced plans to send 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 Stinger missiles to Ukraine, a major shift in post-World War II German defense policy that marked a significant escalation in Europe’s military support for Kyiv.
“The Russian invasion marks the turning of an era. It is our duty to support Ukraine to the best of our ability in defending against Putin’s invading army," German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in a statement.
The decision was a significant reversal after months of foot-dragging from Berlin about military support for Ukraine. Until Saturday, German leaders had refused to send lethal weaponry and had also blocked other countries from doing so with German-made armaments. Under pressure, they earlier agreed to send helmets and a field hospital, a decision for which they were mocked.
Germany has rarely sent weapons into conflicts, a longstanding political taboo that is related to its guilt over World War II. (Detractors note that the German defense industry has nevertheless sold extensive armaments to authoritarian leaders around the world.) The country has been especially cautious about sending weapons that would be used against Russia, one of its World War II-era opponents and a country that many Germans partly credit for their liberation.
That meant that Saturday’s move was especially notable. It could open a flood of German-made armaments from other countries to Ukraine as well. Earlier in the day, the country had already signed off on the Netherlands’s sending 400 German-made rocket-propelled grenade launchers to Kyiv.
The 400 RPG launchers are currently owned by the Dutch government but were manufactured in Germany; when Germany sells or transfers its weaponry to other countries, it retains control over whether those arms get moved elsewhere.
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