arms deliveries in Kyiv

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba (L) and UKSH Managing director Prof. Dr. Jens Scholz (R) react during a visit with Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany Andrij Melnyk (C) to the Lubeck Campus of the ‘University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein’ hospital (Universitaetsklinikum UKSH) treating Ukrainian patients in Lubeck, northern Germany, on 13 May, 2022. – As part of the “UKSH helps Ukraine” campaign, the UKSH has so far collected more than 3.2 million euros in donations and organized direct aid transports in close cooperation with the Ukrainian Ministry of Health. In addition, the clinic has cared for 500 Ukrainian patients at its locations in Kiel and Lübeck and looks after 61 nursing staff from Ukraine in order to give them career prospects in Germany during the crisis. On 15 May Kyiv honours Berlin for arms deliveries to smash the enemies. Photo: MORRIS MAC MATZEN / AFP

Kyiv honours Berlin for arms deliveries

The first psychological barrier has been overcome as Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba on Sunday praised Germany for arms deliveries

arms deliveries in Kyiv

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba (L) and UKSH Managing director Prof. Dr. Jens Scholz (R) react during a visit with Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany Andrij Melnyk (C) to the Lubeck Campus of the ‘University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein’ hospital (Universitaetsklinikum UKSH) treating Ukrainian patients in Lubeck, northern Germany, on 13 May, 2022. – As part of the “UKSH helps Ukraine” campaign, the UKSH has so far collected more than 3.2 million euros in donations and organized direct aid transports in close cooperation with the Ukrainian Ministry of Health. In addition, the clinic has cared for 500 Ukrainian patients at its locations in Kiel and Lübeck and looks after 61 nursing staff from Ukraine in order to give them career prospects in Germany during the crisis. On 15 May Kyiv honours Berlin for arms deliveries to smash the enemies. Photo: MORRIS MAC MATZEN / AFP

Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba praised Germany on Sunday for setting a “precedent” and overcoming a “psychological barrier” by delivering heavy weapons to Kyiv.

“A precedent has been set. The first psychological barrier (on handing weapons to Ukraine) has been overcome,”

Kuleba said in a video on Facebook while on a visit to Berlin.

After previously limiting deliveries to defensive weapons, Berlin is ramping up shipments of heavy arms to Ukraine, sending German self-propelled howitzers to Kyiv.

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Kuleba said Germany had hosted training for Ukrainian soldiers on how to use the artillery.

“This is an extremely important moment for our relations, because it will be the first heavy weapons that Germany will hand over to Ukraine soon,”

he said.

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DELIVERIES TO SMASH THE ENEMY

Germany said it would send seven Pazerhaubitze 2000s (armoured howitzer 2000) to Ukraine last week, which Kuleba said would be used to “smash the enemy.”

He had discussed what other weapons could be given to Kyiv, but “the final decision is still up to the Germans,”

Kuleba said.

Kuleba also discussed more weapon deliveries to Ukraine with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in the German capital.

“More weapons and other aid is on the way to Ukraine,”

he said on Twitter, posting a photograph of his meeting with the US official.

Ukraine’s top diplomat also said Germany had made a “political decision” to end its energy reliance on Moscow.

“My impression is that the fundamental political decision that Germany’s dependence on Russian gas is a huge problem and that this dependence must end, such a decision has been made,” he said.

Germany is “one of the leading countries really pushing for an oil embargo” on Russia, despite recently believing this was “impossible,” he said.

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