New Delhi: Amidst the escalating conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Germany has decided to change its longstanding policy of not sending weapons to conflict zones.
On Saturday, Germany decided to send 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 ‘stringer’ class surface to surface air missiles to Ukraine.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said, “The Russian invasion of Ukraine marks a turning point in history. It threatens our entire post-war order.”
“In this situation, it is our duty to support Ukraine to the best of our ability in its defence against Vladimir Putin's invading army stands closely by Ukraine's side,” he added.
Germany also approved the delivery of 400 anti-tank rocket launchers via the Netherlands. It also approved the transfer of eight old Howitzers from Estonia to Ukraine.
Since these weapons were brought from Germany, the countries need its approval to send them to Ukraine.
Germany’s action came days after it was criticised for approving the deliveries of 5,000 helmets to Ukraine.
Other Countries That Are Sending Weaponry
While most of the countries were not very keen on sending military aid to Ukraine till now, the Russian aggression has made many western countries show their support for Ukraine.
According to AFP, France is delivering defensive weapons to Kyiv as Ukraine has requested anti-aircraft hardware. It will also send fuel and additional military equipment along with applying more sanctions on Russia.
Meanwhile, the US will be providing an additional military aid of $350 million to fight off Russia's "brutal and unprovoked assault", Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Saturday.
Belgium also announced on Saturday that it was providing 2,000 machine guns and 3,800 tons of fuel to the Ukrainian army, AFP reported.
The Dutch defence ministry said that it had already sent sniper rifles and helmets to Ukraine and 200 Stinger anti-aircraft missiles would be on their way as "soon as possible".
The Czech Republic is also providing 30,000 pistols, 7,000 assault rifles, 3,000 machine guns, several dozen sniper guns, and about a million cartridges.
Britain has also said that it is ready to provide additional military aid to Ukraine including lethal weapons.
Although the West is finally coming out to give a hand to Ukraine, the question of importing this weaponry into the country and distributing it still remains a challenge.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky is trying to garner as much support against Russia as possible while the Russian forces have reached near the capital city of Kyiv. On Saturday, the Russian defence ministry said that the Russian forces will aggravate assault in Kyiv “from all directions.”