Ukraine received a fresh pledge of military aid from NATO ally Germany this week in a winter boost for its ongoing counteroffensive.
On Tuesday, Germany's defense ministry announced a support package for Ukraine worth around 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion), including an array of new weapons.
"Germany will continue to support Ukraine with what it needs most urgently—air defense, ammunition and tanks," German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said.
"With this new 'winter package' we are further increasing the operational readiness of the Ukrainian armed forces in the coming months."
Pistorius said Germany is "making the Ukrainian special forces even more combat-effective with a comprehensive support package consisting of vehicles, weapons and personal equipment worth more than 20 million euros."
Germany's defense ministry said in a press release that in the next few weeks, another Leopard 1A5 main battle tank, three more Gepard anti-aircraft gun tanks, 15 protected transport vehicles and nearly 20 protected medical vehicles will arrive in Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, thanked Germany for the fresh support package, in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
"Germany's increasing military aid and air defense systems number for Ukraine," Yermak, who heads the Ukrainian presidential office, said. "The new aid package will include Patriot, IRIS-T, and Gepard systems."
"This 'winter' aid package is crucial as Russian terrorists are attacking our cities from the air," Yermak added. "Thank you to our allies."
Germany's announcement came ahead of a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels on Wednesday, where the issue of military aid for Ukraine is expected to be among the topics of discussion.
The U.S. has provided Ukraine with the most assistance throughout Russian President Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion of the country, followed by Germany, according to the latest data from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy.
Zelensky also said he was grateful to Berlin for the latest support package.
"As winter approaches, this is exactly the support we need and the one we discussed with [Chancellor Olaf Scholz] in Granada," Zelensky said in a post on social media.
In another post, the Ukrainian president said Kyiv "must win the winter battle against terror."
"We can win it. And along with it, we can win the battle for how and on whose terms this war will end. Ukraine can survive. It will survive. However, it is important to take the weapons out of the hands of our enemy."
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Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Isabel van Brugen is a Newsweek Reporter based in Kuala Lumpur. Her focus is reporting on the Russia-Ukraine war. Isabel ... Read more
