Germany Sends IDR 196 Trillion Aid to Ukraine to Purchase Arms

Ukrainian military illustration. (Source: President.gov.ua)

JAKARTA - The German government has agreed to send an additional 12 billion euros worth of military aid (IDR 196.364.857.440.000) to Ukraine.

Germany's Bundestag Budget Committee gave the go-ahead on Wednesday for unbudgeted spending, which was requested by the Ministries of Defense and Foreign Affairs.

The additional funds include 3.2 billion euros to be disbursed in 2023 and a line of credit for the period between 2024 and 2032 of around 8.8 billion euros.

"With these funds, Ukraine can directly purchase weapons with the support of the Government of Germany," three politicians representing the coalition government on the committee said in a statement.

"It is important to support Ukraine for as long as necessary," the three continued in the statement.

Since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24 last year, the German Government has provided more than 14.2 billion euros to support Ukraine, according to the Foreign Ministry.

Previously, 18 Leopard 2 battle tanks promised by Germany to help in the fight against Russia have arrived in Ukraine, the German Ministry of Defense said on Monday.

Germany approved the delivery of one of the best main battle tanks (MBT) in the world in January, after long considerations and discussions at home and with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies.

It takes into account the anticipation of direct conflict with Russia. Moscow regards the delivery of tanks as a dangerous provocation. While Kyiv considered it very important to defeat the invasion of his elder brother.

"I am sure they can make a decisive contribution on the front line," German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said in a tweet.

In addition to the 18 tanks, 40 German Marder infantry fighting vehicles and two armored repair vehicles have also reached Ukraine, a security source said.

It is known that German soldiers trained Ukrainian tank crews as well as troops assigned to operate Marder vehicles for several weeks in Muenster and Bergen in northern Germany.

Marder is an excellent example of German quality. I've tried it myself.

Look forward to taming Leopards soon. I love the way they roar!

Would be happy if @AnkaFeldhusen can join me. Let’s do it together!

Thank you to @Bundeskanzler, Boris Pistorius & the 🇩🇪 people! 🇺🇦🤝🇩🇪 pic.twitter.com/uTE8hwewpV

— Oleksii Reznikov (@oleksiireznikov) March 29, 2023