No sooner were main battle tanks delivered than a debate erupted in Germany about the delivery of combat aircraft to Ukraine. But the country has not yet asked Germany for fighter jets, says Ambassador Makeiev. Vehicles and air defense systems are currently given priority.
The Ukrainian government does not currently see fighter jets as a priority when it comes to arms deliveries from Germany. "We haven't asked Germany for fighter jets yet," Ukraine's ambassador to Germany, Oleksii Makeiev, told DW. His priorities are "armored vehicles, main battle tanks, air defense systems and artillery units".
Both sides are making "very good progress" in these areas, said Makeiev after Germany recently promised Kyiv the delivery of Leopard 2 main battle tanks in addition to infantry fighting vehicles. "We will continue to talk to our German partners mainly about these four priorities."
"But of course the situation on the ground may require different equipment," added Makeiev. It is also important that Ukraine gets "supply of weapons and ammunition as soon as possible".
Referring to fighter jets, Makeiev stressed that "all fighter jets are important because they are part of our efforts to shoot down Russian missiles." They are "part of our air defense efforts" to protect cities and infrastructure from attacks. US President Joe Biden rejected Ukraine's delivery of F-16 fighter jets on Monday.
With a view to Germany, the foreign policy spokesman for the Union faction, Jürgen Hardt, said in the ARD "Morgenmagazin" that "German airplanes, for example, don't make any sense there". However, Hardt again spoke out against "red lines" for arms deliveries. Ukraine's needs must be examined "without prejudice," he said. The support must be "appropriate" to ensure Ukraine has a chance to resist Russian military pressure.
Delivering battle tanks was therefore the right decision, added the CDU politician. However, he would have wished for it sooner.
