On April 26, 2022, a meeting of the Defense Advisory Group on Ukraine with the participation of the Ministers of Defense of more than 40 countries was held at the US Air Force Base – “Ramstein” in Germany. During the meeting, Christine Lambrecht - Minister of Defense of the Federal Republic said that Germany will supply Ukraine anti-aircraft self-propelled guns “Gepard”.
At its meeting on April 28, 2022, the German Bundestag approved the supply of heavy weapons to Ukraine. This was reported by "Der Spiegel". 586 of the 693 members of the German Parliament present, voted in favor of the proposal, 100 opposed and seven abstained, said Bundestag Deputy Speaker Wolfgang Kubicki. (https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/ukraine-krieg-bundestag-stim… ).
According to the German edition, the decision of the Bundestag allows the German federal government to "supply efficient, including heavy weapons and complex systems from Germany" to Ukraine. Arms exports will be discussed in close cooperation with NATO partners.
The leader of the ruling Green Party faction, Britta Hasselman, called the new arms supplies to Ukraine a balancing act - "on the one hand [Germany] should not become a participant in the war, and on the other hand not to leave Ukraine without protection to the aggressor Putin.
At the same time, the leader of the Christian Democratic Union, who is in opposition to the government, Friedrich Merz, accused Chancellor Olaf Scholz of avoiding discussing the issue of arms supplies to Ukraine for several weeks.
On April 26, 2022, a meeting of the Defense Advisory Group on Ukraine with the participation of the Ministers of Defense of more than 40 countries was held at the US Air Force Base – “Ramstein” in Germany. During the meeting, Christine Lambrecht - Minister of Defense of the Federal Republic said that Germany will supply Ukraine anti-aircraft self-propelled guns “Gepard”.
Since the start of the war in 2014, Germany has provided financial assistance to Ukraine, helping to treat Ukrainian servicemen wounded in the fighting in Donbas, but has refused to provide weapons.
Following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation on 24 February 2022, the Federal Republic of Germany changed its position and agreed to supply arms to Ukraine. On April 19, 2022, Chancellor Scholz said that Germany would help finance direct arms supplies from German manufacturers to Ukraine. First of all, it was about anti-tank weapons and air defense systems. According to Scholz, Germany has practically used up the weapons it can supply from its stockpiles.
On April 21, 2022, “Bild” reported that the German Ministry of Defense had excluded from the list of weapons destined for Ukraine to fight the Russian invasion all heavy weapons, although German industry could supply many types of weapons in a short term and in medium term perspective.
The German media wrote that not only among the opposition, but also in the government coalition of the Federal Republic, the idea of supplying heavy weapons has a widespread support. But according to a poll conducted by the INSA institute, 50 percent of German citizens were against the supply of heavy weapons to Ukraine, and 43 percent – in favour of it.
Source: https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/ukraine-krieg-bundestag-stim… ; https://gordonua.com/news/worldnews/bundestag-odobril-postavki-tyazhelo…