Ukraine Gets Major Weapons Boost from NATO Ally

Ukraine will receive a huge military package from Germany, which will provide a major boost for its air defense systems.
General Christian Freuding revealed details of the aid on Wednesday, describing the weapons that will be sent to Ukraine by the end of the year.
They include two medium-range IRIS-T SLM batteries and two short-range IRIS-T SLS batteries (ground-based air defense systems), 10 Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns and a Lenkflugkörper IRIS-T guided missile system.
Drones and counter-drone systems will also be provided, as well as self-propelled howitzers—12 PzH 2000s and four Slovak-made Zuzana 2s. Although made in Slovakia, the contracts to transfer the Zuzana 2s to Ukraine are financed by the German government, Ukrainian media outlet Militarnyi reported.
Assault rifles, ammunition, about 30 Leopard 1A5 tanks and 400 armored Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles are also part of the package, on top of logistical support machinery and multiple types of trucks.
Germany is also providing Ukraine with medical equipment and a field hospital.
At the end of July, Kyiv received fresh tranches of military aid from Germany and the U.S., which is the single-largest provider of military aid to Ukraine, with Germany the second.
A draft budget for 2025, seen by Reuters earlier in July, suggested Berlin planned to halve its military aid for Ukraine next year. Despite this, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has previously said Vladimir Putin is wrong to believe that support for Kyiv would deplete as the war goes on.
The U.S. announced an aid package in July worth $1.7 billion, with $1.5 billion for long-term contracts under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative and an additional $200 million for immediate military aid sourced from Pentagon stockpiles, The Associated Press reported at the time.
It came after the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) summit in Washington, D.C., where alliance members pledged to bolster support for Ukraine.
NATO allies also established a new program to ensure sustained military aid to Ukraine and proclaimed its trajectory toward NATO membership as “irreversible,” according to the AP.
Since the war began in 2022, the U.S. has provided more than $55.4 billion in weapons and security assistance to Ukraine. Other NATO countries and international partners have collectively contributed about $50 billion in security aid, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, an independent research group based in Germany.
There are concerns that if Donald Trump is elected in November, the U.S.’ relationship with Ukraine and NATO could change.
The former president has often expressed frustration over how much money the U.S. spends on NATO, accusing allies of taking advantage of American security largesse in Europe.