Germany: Armaments company bids to send 100 self-propelled guns to Ukraine

LAST UPDATE: 13:54

Ukraine has received an offer to receive a significant consignment of self-propelled guns from a German armaments company, a German government source said on Sunday, according to Reuters.

The German weekly Welt am Sonntag reported on Saturday that armaments company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann had offered 100 such weapons to Ukraine, citing anonymous government sources in Kyiv.

“This offer is there,” the German source told Reuters, without giving further details.

The Welt am Sonntag reported that the manufacturer did not currently have the weapons ready for delivery, so he suggested that the German army offer 100 of its own machine guns to Kyiv, which would then deliver the new weapons to the German army as soon as most likely ready by the second half of 2024.

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February, Germany reversed its policy of not sending weapons to conflict zones and stated that it would supply Strela missiles, including weapons, to Ukraine.

Chancellor Olaf Solz said on Friday that it was important for Germany to supply only weapons that the Ukrainian army would know how to use, such as older equipment from the former East German army.

Slovakia also in talks with Ukraine over the sale of self-propelled guns

Slovakia could sell some of the Zuzana self-propelled guns to Ukraine, Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad said on Sunday.

“I can confirm that we are in talks (for the sale),” Nad said, without elaborating.

The Zuzana 2 cannon, an upgraded version of an older model, uses 155mm missiles and has an effective range of 40 to more than 50km depending on the type of ammunition.