Germany announces new defence aid package for Ukraine

Germany will support Ukraine with another military aid package, the country’s defence minister, Boris Pistorius, has said in Kyiv at the joint briefing with his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov.

Pistorius said the new military aid package will include four IRIS-T systems, 20,000 155mm calibre shells, anti-tank mines and other weapons, according to RBC-Ukraine.

"This is the fifth such package since last winter. And I'm sure it will help you in your fight against Russian aggression," Pistorius said.

Asked about the possibility of delivering Taurus missiles, Pistorius said there was "no new information about Taurus." However, he said that Germany plans to supply Ukraine with 140,000 155 mm shells for next year.

The German government has pitched itself to be the “backbone” of European defence since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 and pledged to support Kyiv while also bringing its military spending up to the Nato target of 2 per cent of GDP.

Berlin is the second-biggest supplier of military assistance to Kyiv after the US. The chancellor, Olaf Scholz, pledged last month that Germany would maintain its aid to Kyiv, insisting that “we will support Ukraine as long as necessary”.