Ukrainian Army Training Completed, German Howitzers Immediately Enter The Battlefield To Face Russia

Ilustrasi PzH 2000 Jerman. (Wikimedia Commons/department of defense)

JAKARTA - German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said Ukrainian troops will soon complete training on the use of German howitzers, soon to enter the battlefield in Ukraine.

Ukraine is known to ask Western countries to send more and better artillery, as Soviet-era ammunition runs out against Russia.

Western countries have responded to this by promising North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) standard weapons, but delivering them will take time.

"The Panzerhaubitze (PzH) 2000 training will be completed soon, so it can be used in combat in Ukraine," Minister Lambrecht told reporters during a visit to a military base in the western German city of Rheinbach.

The Panzerhaubitze 2000 is one of the most powerful artillery guns in the inventory of the Bundeswehr (German Armed Forces). The weapon has the capability of hitting targets at a distance of 40 km (25 miles).

Previously, Germany pledged in May to supply Kyiv with seven self-propelled howitzers, adding to the five artillery systems the Netherlands had promised.

But Berlin is also facing accusations from Ukraine that it is dragging its feet, taking too much time to deliver heavy weapons, as the conflict has turned into a punitive war of attrition.

However, Minister Lambrecht did not provide details on when the howitzers would be delivered to Ukraine.

"The first Howitzers will be sent (to Ukraine) when the training has been completed and it is the responsibility (to supply them)," explained Minister Lambrecht, adding that he would not announce dates or transport routes for security reasons.

As previously reported, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian troops had sufficient ammunition and weapons, but needed more long-range weapons.

"We have enough weapons. What we don't have are weapons that really reach the range, which we need to reduce the advantages of the Russian Federation equipment," he said.

Meanwhile, Presidential Adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said Kyiv needed 1.000 howitzers, 500 tanks, and 1.000 drones among other heavy weapons.