“We need these weapons in order to run the German armed forces, as well as to train the new military,” said Lowpenthal, adding that Germany still needed Marder combat vehicles to meet its various obligations, including within NATO.
“Then the German army would not have anything to send a division to the NATO rapid reaction force, if they needed support,” the military official added, explaining that providing Ukraine with these vehicles would negatively affect the capabilities of the German army.
And German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said last Tuesday, following a video conference with the participation of Western leaders, that the German army’s reserves to supply Ukraine with weapons have mostly been exhausted, but Kyiv can buy weapons from German defense companies.