Germany to suspend Ukraine military aid and drone production

Germany and Ukraine have agreed on a strategic defence partnership that includes cooperation in drone production and an increase in air defences. The agreement was announced by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz during a news conference in Berlin.

As part of the deal, Germany will gain access to Ukraine’s expertise in developing cutting-edge drones, which were developed during the country’s conflict with Russia. In exchange, Germany will provide additional military support to Ukraine. The agreement also covers the production of various types of drones, missiles, software, and modern defence systems.

The German defence ministry has agreed to fund contracts for several hundred Patriot missiles from the United States. Ukraine is in need of air defence systems due to ongoing nightly Russian drone and missile attacks. Ukrainian Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov expressed gratitude to his German counterpart Boris Pistorius for the package, which he valued at four billion euros.

The agreement also includes the exchange of digital combat data for the development of new weapons systems. The deal is seen as beneficial for both countries, with Germany’s security being enhanced by Ukraine’s battle-tested military experience. The European Union has been exploring a 90-billion-euro loan to support Ukraine, which was blocked by Hungary last month.

However, nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban lost elections on Sunday, and his successor Peter Magyar is expected to reverse the stance once in office. Meanwhile, Russia launched further attacks on Tuesday, including a missile strike on the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro that killed four people and injured at least 21.

Source: Al Jazeera