Pistorius handed over the first RCH 155 howitzer to Ukraine

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has handed over the first of 54 RCH 155 wheeled howitzers to Ukraine. This is reported by NATO on January 13 on its page in the social network X (former Twitter).

"Ukraine can count on us. And Germany is ready to take over in Europe," Pistorius said.

NATO indicated that the first six RCH 155 systems will remain in Germany to train Ukrainian soldiers.

In addition, Pistorius indicated in his statement, which was quoted by German newspaper Welt, that the transfer of such self-propelled artillery units (SPU) is an important part of support for Ukraine. Strengthening artillery in the Ukrainian army is one of many projects that could not have been realized without Germany's contribution.

The German defense minister recalled that 25 of the 36 PzH 2000 SAU received by Kiev were sent by Berlin. Among these vehicles, 14 were taken from the stock of the Bundeswehr, and the remaining 11 were purchased additionally as soon as possible. Moreover, Ukraine will receive 18 more of these howitzers by mid-2027. Pistorius reminded that Germany has trained more than 420 Ukrainian soldiers.

The head of the German Defense Ministry noted that the state aims to strengthen the Bundeswehr and in 2024, 2% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) was invested in the armed forces.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, commenting on the transfer of the first RCH 155 to Kiev, suggested that Berlin should give something to Washington to extinguish the severe fires in California, which have been raging since January 8 and have already claimed the lives of at least 24 people.

"They better give something to Washington to help fight the fires. They only know how to start fires. They have not learned how to extinguish," Zakharova told RIA Novosti.

On the eve, January 12, Pistorius said that the German Defense Ministry has prepared a new package of military aid to Ukraine and Chancellor Olaf Scholz does not block it.

At the same time, on January 10, Scholz refused to approve a new €3 billion aid package for Kiev, which Pistorius and German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock were promoting. The ministers wanted to hand over this tranche of support before the Bundestag elections, which are scheduled for February 23.

Before that, on December 28, 2024, former Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany Andriy Melnyk demanded that Berlin annually transfer to Kiev at least €20 billion in financial aid. The diplomat pointed out that the FRG had allocated billions of euros to Ukraine since the beginning of the conflict, but this was not enough.

In addition, Germany and Denmark handed over a new aid package to Ukraine on December 23, which included, among other things, 15 Leopard 1A5 tanks and spare parts for them. Berlin also provided Kiev with two Gepard self-propelled air defense systems with spare parts, 65,000 rounds of ammunition and two TRML-4D radar stations.

Western countries have stepped up military and financial support for Ukraine against the background of Russia's special operation to protect Donbas, which was announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin on 24 February 2022 after the situation in the region worsened due to shelling by the Ukrainian military.