© Spc. Justin De Hoyos, U.S. Army
– Soldier with the standard Bundeswehr helmet B826.
Germany will supply 5,000 military helmets to Ukraine to help defend against a possible Russian invasion. The mayor of Kiev and former world champion boxer Vitali Klitschko rejected the offer as a “joke” that left him “speechless”.
Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said Berlin, which is facing growing criticism for refusing to supply weapons to Ukraine, as other Western countries have done, is responding to a request for military equipment, particularly helmets.
“Obviously, the United Kingdom has taken the position that aid with deadly tactical defense is something that Ukrainians need. But we are not judging other countries,” said British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace during a visit to Berlin. .
“The German government has agreed not to send deadly weapons to crisis areas because we do not want to fuel tensions, we want to contribute in other ways,” Lambrecht told a joint news conference with Wallace.
She added that Germany is also supplying a field hospital to Ukraine and is still seeking a peaceful solution to the crisis.
Klitschko, who has lived in Germany for years and is now mayor of the Ukrainian capital, was not impressed by the helmet proposal.
“The behavior of the German government leaves me speechless. The Ministry of Defense has clearly not realized that we are facing a well-equipped Russian force that could launch a new invasion of Ukraine at any time,” he told the best-selling daily Bild.
“What support will Germany send after that?” he joked. “Pillows?”
Ukraine’s ambassador to Berlin, Andriy Melnik, said the “symbolic gesture” was welcome, but not enough, as his country needed equipment for hundreds of thousands of soldiers, of whom helmets were not the most necessary part.
“I’m glad we see at least the beginning of a change in thinking,” he told Reuters. “However, we need most defensive weapons.”
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