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Germany said it had exhausted its ability to send arms to Ukraine on Wednesday, instead pledging to train Ukraine’s armed forces and maintain its military equipment.
“While other partners deliver artillery, we help with training and maintenance,” said Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock at a press conference.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock speaks to the media as she arrives for a meeting of NATO foreign ministers at NATO Headquarters in Brussels on Thursday, April 7, 2022. NATO foreign ministers meet to discuss how to increase their support for Ukraine, including by shipping arms to the conflict-torn country without being drawn into a wider war with Russia. (AP Photo/Olivier Matthys)
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Baerbock renewed Germany’s support for the Baltic states during a three-day trip to Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania, but reportedly claimed that German forces had declared that they “can no longer supply weapons from their own reserves”.
Germany will try to continue to support the war effort by providing spare parts, Interfax reported.
The German leadership has been repeatedly criticized at home and abroad for its reluctance to send significant support to Ukraine and for notoriously offering 5,000 helmets in the run-up to the invasion.
Although Baerbock claimed on Wednesday that Berlin had supplied anti-tank weapons and Stingers without publicly disclosing this.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday tried to counter criticism of Berlin’s decision not to supply Kyiv with more advanced equipment as Ukraine prepares for another major offensive in its eastern regions.
FILE — Ukrainian soldiers examine a Swedish Carl Gustaf M4 shoulder-launched weapon system during a training session near Kharkiv, Ukraine, April 7, 2022. (AP Photo/Andrew Marienko, file)
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“Ukraine continues to have our full solidarity and support. At the same time, it is our duty as leaders to prevent the war from spreading to other countries,” he said during a news conference. “That’s why NATO doesn’t want to and can’t intervene directly in the war.”
Scholz said Germany will continue to provide defense assistance where it can, but claimed its equipment stocks have been exhausted.
The German Chancellor on Tuesday held talks with top allies including the US, EU and NATO officials, as well as France, Britain and Canada to discuss continued support for Ukraine.
Ukrainian soldiers of the 103rd Separate Brigade of the Armed Forces Territorial Defense fire their weapons during a training exercise at an undisclosed location near Lviv in western Ukraine, Tuesday, March 29, 2022. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
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Germany will reportedly work with other nations to increase its defense aid and bring Soviet-era weapons to Ukraine, as its armed forces are already trained to use these types of weapons.
Scholz said Berlin agreed with its Western allies on Tuesday that it only made sense to send Ukraine weapons that it could use immediately without further training.