Helping Ukraine: Germany Sends Rocket Launchers Next Month, Slovakia Donates Soviet-made Rockets And Helicopters

Ilustrasi tentara Ukraina. (Wikimedia Commons/Ministry of Defense of Ukraine)

JAKARTA - Ukraine has again received arms assistance from European countries, following an escalating war with Russia in the East, with President Volodymyr Zelensky previously hoping for more long-range weapons assistance.

Recently, Germany and Slovakia announced that they would send weapons assistance to Ukraine. Failing to take Kyiv, Russia focused its attacks on the east in the Donbas, with fierce fighting breaking out in the city of Sievierodonetsk.

German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said the three multiple rocket launchers that Germany had promised to Kyiv could be delivered in July or August, after Ukrainian troops were trained to use the weapons.

"These dual rocket launcher exercises could start in late June, which means they could be delivered in late July or early August," he told reporters ahead of a second day of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) ministers meeting in Brussels, Belgium, citing Reuters, June 16.

Separately, Slovakia has donated five Soviet-designed Mi-series military helicopters and thousands of Grad multi-rocket launchers to Ukraine, Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad said.

"Happy to confirm, thousands of #Slovakian 122mm Grad rockets and Mi 5 series helicopters have been safely donated to the armed forces of #Ukraine," tweeted Jaroslav Nad.

The delivery includes four M1-17 helicopters and one Mi-2 helicopter, he said, adding the helicopters had been replaced in the Slovak armed forces by US-made UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters.

As a member of NATO and Ukraine's western neighbor, Slovakia strongly supports the defense of Ukraine against the Russian invasion. Previously, they donated other military equipment and ammunition, including the S-300 air defense system. Not only that, Slovakia also agreed to sell eight new self-propelled Zuzana 2 howitzers to Ukraine.

As previously reported, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his troops had sufficient ammunition and weapons. However, they expected more supply of long-range weapons.

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