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Howitzer 2000
Photo: GREGOR FISCHER / AFP
All seven promised Panzerhaubitze 2000 artillery pieces have arrived in Ukraine.
This was confirmed by the Ukrainian Ambassador Andriy Melnyk.
This is the first time that Germany has delivered a heavy weapons system to Ukraine since the Russian invasion began almost four months ago.
It was "finally part of the 155-millimeter howitzer arsenal of the Ukrainian artillery," Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov wrote on Twitter on Tuesday.
Resnikov thanked Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) "for all efforts" to support Ukraine.
The federal government had hesitated for a long time when it promised heavy weapons.
At the beginning of May, Lambrecht had announced that the seven Panzerhaubitz 2000 from Bundeswehr stocks would be handed over.
The Netherlands should provide five more examples of howitzers mounted on a tank chassis.
Germany had taken over the training of the Ukrainian soldiers on howitzers.
It began on May 11 at the Bundeswehr artillery school in Idar-Oberstein, Rhineland-Palatinate, and should be completed after around 40 days, i.e. this week.
The completion of the training was not confirmed by the Ministry of Defense for the time being.
The Panzerhaubitze 2000 is now being used by Ukrainian artillerymen to "bring heat to the battlefield," Reznikov wrote.
Your delivery is "an example of international cooperation in support of Ukraine."
He also thanked Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren in another tweet.
Ukraine has been asking western partners for months to supply longer-range guns to halt the Russian advance.
The Panzerhaubitze 2000 can shoot 30 to 40 kilometers depending on the ammunition used.
It is considered one of the most modern howitzers in the world and can fire up to ten shells per minute.
as/AFP/dpa