04/19/2022 22:53 (act 04/19/2022 23:00)
Germany and Chancellor Scholz still reluctant ©APA/AFP
According to the US, Ukraine received additional fighter jets for the war against Russia. Ukraine now has more fighter jets than it did two weeks ago, US Defense Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Tuesday. Ukraine received additional aircraft and parts, Kirby added, without providing further details on their origin. The West had previously announced the delivery of heavy weapons.
Additional artillery pieces are said to come from the US and Britain. Heavy artillery is also supplied from Canada. In addition, the Netherlands and Belgium will send heavy weapons. Germany was still cautious. After a videoconference with Western heads of state and government, Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that there would be close coordination.
“This will be an artillery conflict,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson told lawmakers in London. Your country is also looking into the possibility of sending missiles to attack ships. Among other things, it will look into whether the “Brimstone” rockets can be mounted on vehicles, Johnson explained. Other options would also be explored. Missiles are usually fired from fighter jets. According to the manufacturer MBDA, they can be used against both land and sea targets.
Ukraine claims to have so severely damaged the Russian missile cruiser Moskva that it later sank. Russia, on the other hand, speaks of a fire on board. The loss of the battleship is considered one of the most serious setbacks for the government in Moscow since the invasion began.
Scholz emphasized that he would finance direct arms deliveries from German industry, but avoided making specific statements on the subject of heavy weapons. “We asked the German arms industry to tell us what material they can supply in the near future,” Scholz said in Berlin. “Ukraine has now adopted a selection from that list and we are providing them with the money to buy it.” As before, these include anti-tank weapons, anti-aircraft equipment, ammunition “and also anything that can be used in an artillery battle”.