By Oliver Towfigh Nia
BERLIN (AA) – The German government announced a new military aid package for Ukraine, including the delivery of 105 Leopard 1A5 tanks and 30 Marder infantry fighting vehicles, local media reported on Wednesday.
Germany has already provided Ukraine with 30 Leopard 1, 90 Marder infantry fighting vehicles, and 18 Leopard 2-A6 tanks since spring 2023.
The majority of the latter are currently in a repair workshop in Lithuania, the Frankfurter Rundschau daily said.
The promised 30 Leopard 1 tanks come from old industrial and Bundeswehr stocks and are currently being completely overhauled by Rheinmetall, a German arms company.
According to the government's website, Germany also plans to deliver 15 more Gepard anti-aircraft gun tanks and nine IRIS-T SLM air defense systems to protect Ukrainian cities from Russian missile attacks.
Since the beginning of the Russian war, Germany has sent weapons worth €17.13 billion (approximately $18.44 billion) to Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the US has provided weapons and other materials worth €43.86 billion and the UK comes in third place with €6.57 billion worth of weapons sent to Ukraine.
Last month, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced plans to conclude a security agreement with Ukraine soon but did not specify a time frame.
Germany has also made progress in providing new types of weapons. Last month, the German Defense Ministry announced that it would deliver six decommissioned Sea King Mk41 military helicopters to Ukraine for the first time.