Head of German parliamentary defense committee calls for Germany to provide Ukraine with tanks
Strack-Zimmermann said that, given the Ukrainian army’s gains in territory, she considers the German Marder infantry fighting vehicle to be suitable for use.
“If you want to reconquer eastern Ukraine, that makes sense from my understanding,” said Strack-Zimmermann.
Read also: Germany to continue supporting Ukraine in war against Russia as long as necessary, says FM
“The Marder was made specifically for fighting positions. That would be an additional piece of military equipment that is highly relevant at this stage”.
The politician rejected claims that Ukrainian soldiers could not operate Western weapon systems.
“It’s an old argument,” she explained.
“That's already been said about the PzH 2000 and the Gepard. You could use the phase until winter to train Ukrainian soldiers on the Marder.”
The day before, the head of the European Parliament, Robert Metsol, also called on the EU to supply tanks to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
As Strack-Zimmermann wrote on Twitter, she plans to meet with political and military officials, and once again emphasized that Berlin must increase its support of Ukraine.
Read also: Germany sends five armored repair and evacuations vehicles to Ukraine, with ten more planned
German newspaper Der Spiegel has reported that Strack-Zimmermann is scheduled to speak with representatives of the Ukrainian parliament and government, including Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov and Andriy Yermak, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's chief-of-staff, on Oct. 7.
On Sept. 6, German news outlet Welt reported that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz refused to supply Ukraine with German-made Leopard 2 tanks. Commenting on this, Scholz said that his country is providing Ukraine with sufficient aid in weapons, and every decision to supply any equipment is made in coordination with allies.
On Sept. 15, German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht announced that Berlin is ready to send Dingo armored vehicles and additional MARS II multiple rocket launchers to Ukraine.
Read also: Negotiations have no chance of ending Russia’s war against Ukraine, says Germany
On Sept. 21, at the plenary session of the German parliament, a vote on the immediate transfer of German Leopard tanks to the Ukrainian army was again postponed, U.S. political news outlet Politico reported.
Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
