While Ukraine is retreating at different points on the front, under pressure from Russian forces, Berlin is taking a new symbolic decision. After Cheetah battle tanks and Gepard, Iris-T and Patriot air defense systems, Germany will deliver military helicopters to Kiev.
Following a meeting of the contact group for the defense of Ukraine, in the so-called “Ramstein” format, Germany announced on Tuesday evening that it would be able to supply Ukraine with six Sea King Mk41 aircraft from the Bundeswehr stocks, from the second. quarter
Manufactured by the American company Sikorsky and capable of carrying up to twenty passengers, these helicopters have been used by the Bundeswehr since the mid-1970s, where they were gradually replaced by NH 90s from Airbus helicopters.
“A proven and robust helicopter”
“The Sea King is a proven and robust helicopter that will help Ukrainians in many areas: from reconnaissance on the Black Sea to troop transport. This is the first German delivery of this type,” underlined German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.
More than 80 Leopard 1 A5 battle tanks as well as armored infantry fighting vehicles and Iris-T and Gepard air defense systems will also be delivered this year, and about 10,0000 Ukrainian soldiers will be trained in Germany, the ministry said. In total for the year, Germany’s military support for Ukraine will almost double to around 7.5 billion euros in 2024.
On the other hand, the delivery of Taurus cruise missiles, with a range of 500 kilometers, and therefore capable of reaching Russian territory or even hitting the Kremlin, remains out of the question for the moment.
A year old request
“The Ukrainian request for the delivery of helicopters was issued at the end of 2022. This gives you an idea of the time needed to make a decision,” underlined Christian Moling, who is in charge of the Center for Internal Security and Defense. German Foreign Policy Institute (DGAP). More reactively, Great Britain provided three Sea King military helicopters to Ukraine from the end of 2022.
Above all, what Ukraine needs today is not helicopters but artillery ammunition. Due to a shortage of stocks, the Ukrainians had to slow down in the area and the ratio between the number of shells fired by the Russians and the Ukrainians would be between 8:1 and 8:2.
North Korea, more effective than the EU?
Last spring, the European Union pledged to provide one million shells. But she is running after this goal. “As absurd as it sounds, it seems that North Korea is a more effective partner for Russia than friends supplying Ukraine with artillery ammunition,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro stressed on Tuesday. Kuleba in an interview with “Bild”.
“This war is based on artillery and the retreat of Ukrainian forces, one of the devastating effects of Europe’s inability to deliver ammunition,” adds Christian Molling.
In early January, Olaf Scholz called on other EU countries to increase their arms deliveries to Ukraine, which the chancellor considered “too low”. A call was repeated this Wednesday in an interview with the weekly “Die Zeit”, in which he also warned against the risk of American aid disappearing.
France is behind
Germany is Ukraine’s second largest military backer after the United States. According to the Kiel Economic Institute, the country has committed 17 billion euros in military aid since the start of the war, compared with about 550 million for France and 700 million for Italy.
The calculation has been criticized by Paris, which believes it lists only delivery promises without taking into account actual capabilities on the ground or shared European military aid. According to a report by the Assembly’s Defense Committee published in November, France’s military support already amounts to 3.2 billion. For its part, the German Ministry of Defense estimated military deliveries at 6 billion euros since the start of the war.
