During the meeting, the two presidents discussed "the security situation in Ukraine and the current needs amid Russian attacks at the Ukrainian energy infrastructure and military operations along the front."
The facility will enable faster repair of foreign-supplied equipment and their subsequent return to the front line. In the future, the plant will also produce new types of armored vehicles, according to the minister.
President Volodymyr Zelensky and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will discuss military assistance for Ukraine, expanding air defense capacity, and joint arms production.
Germany has not yet made a final decision on the delivery of the fourth battery, according to Bloomberg's sources.
Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel was aware of Russia's intention to reduce gas supply to blackmail Europe to speed up the Nord Stream 2 pipeline launch but concealed the information, German media outlet Handelsblatt reported on June 6, citing classified documents.
President Volodymyr Zelensky will visit Berlin on June 11, where he is expected to speak in the Bundestag for the first time in person, German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported on June 7, citing its sources.
While the statement didn't specify the number of shells procured, Reuters reported on June 4 that Berlin was looking to boost an existing order from the arms manufacturer Rheinmetall by 200,000.
Berlin intends to order 200,000 more artillery shells from Rheinmetall, a German arms manufacturer, than originally planned, Reuters reported on June 4, citing an official letter it had obtained.
In the past, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has repeatedly cited a fear of escalation as among the principal reasons for limiting Germany's support for Ukraine.
Volunteers fundraising for Ukraine were attacked in central Prague by Russian-speaking foreigners, Czech news outlet Novinky.cz reported on June 2.
"(Russian President Vladimir) Putin is training his people for war and positioning them against the West. We must, therefore, become capable of defense as quickly as possible," Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, a member of the co-ruling Free Democratic Party (FDP), said in a comment for the Funke media group published on June 1.
Ukraine can use German-supplied weapons to strike legitimate military targets inside Russia, Deutsche Welle reported on May 31, citing a German government spokesperson.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said bilateral agreements exist "not to be discussed publicly, to draw some 'red lines' as to what is tolerated and what is not."
Key developments on May 30: * Ukraine hit 4 Russian patrol boats in occupied Crimea overnight, military intelligence says * Ukraine hits Russian ferry crossing with ATACMS in Crimea, General Staff says * Politico: Biden quietly allows Ukraine to strike Russia with US arms but 'solely near Kharkiv' * Ukraine can use Danish-supplied F-16s
The new package will reportedly include ammunition for Iris-T air defense systems and shorter-range SLS missiles, as well as reconnaissance drones, 1 million rounds of small arms ammunition, Leopard 1 battle tanks, and Marder armored vehicles.
U.S. and Germany are signaling a potential change to their long-standing policy of not allowing Ukraine to strike military targets on Russian territory with U.S. and German-supplied weapons, according to recent statements and two articles published by Politico on May 29.
Following a new Russian offensive in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine is increasingly raising pressure on its allies, urging them to lift restrictions on the use of Western-provided weapons against military targets inside Russia. Months before the offensive, Kyiv had publicly pledged not to use Western-made weapons to strike targets outside of
The German government will provide Kyiv with an additional 60 million euros ($65 million) in humanitarian assistance, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on May 27.
Speaking at an event in Berlin, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said his government gave clear rules to Kyiv prohibiting the use of German weapons on Russian soil and that he sees no reason to change this.
According to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung (FAS) newspaper, a report seen by German MPs says Ukraine will not be able to regain the initiative this year and is likely to lose more land than it already has since January.
"The time has come for allies to consider whether they should lift some of the restrictions they have put on the use of weapons they have donated to Ukraine," said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
"We have once again delivered Iris-T SLM and Iris-T SLS combined fire unit to Ukraine – a highly modern and well-proven medium and short-range air defense system, directly from German industry production," Boris Pistorius said.
Ukraine refused to accept some outdated Leopard 1A5 battle tanks from Denmark and Germany due to numerous defects, Danish broadcaster DR reported on May 24, citing Danish Defense Ministry documents.
Berlin has handed over 10 Leopard 1 A5 tanks, four Wisent 1 demining tanks, 1.8 million rounds of small arms ammunition, a Dachs armored engineer vehicle, and other aid in its latest delivery of military aid to Ukraine, the German government said on May 22.
Key developments on May 21: * General Staff confirms Russian missile ship Tsiklon struck in occupied Crimea * EU Council approves using Russian assets revenue to fund Ukraine * Politico: US may announce new military aid package for Ukraine this week * Reuters: Germany plans to up Ukraine military aid by 3.8 billion
President Volodymyr Zelensky's five-year term expired on May 20, but elections have been suspended due to martial law, so he will stay on as president
Initially criticized for its sluggish delivery of military aid to Ukraine following the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Germany has become the second-largest provider of military equipment after the U.S.
Washington's proposal envisions borrowing against future profits from the frozen assets and transferring the money to Kyiv upfront from a Group of Seven (G7) loan.
The injured boy walked a kilometer before losing consciousness and was hospitalized soon after, Bild wrote. He was no longer in life-threatening condition as of May 20, the local police said.
Upon her arrival, Baerbock underscored Ukraine's need for air defenses to help repel Russian aerial attacks. "That's why, together with Defense Minister (Boris) Pistorius, I launched a global initiative for more air defense. Almost a billion euros have now been raised to provide additional support for the Ukrainian air defense forces, and we are working intensively to ensure that there is even more," she said.
A number of countries backed Germany's initiative to find air defense equipment for Kyiv at the 22nd Ramstein-format summit of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) on May 20.
U.K. Defense Secretary Grant Shapps on May 19 urged Berlin and other allies to send long-range missiles to Ukraine and to allow Kyiv to hit facilities in Russian-occupied Crimea.
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