The publication recalls that Estonia planned to hand over to Ukraine the Soviet-made D-30 howitzers deployed in what was then communist East Germany, but which in the 1990s were handed over to Finland, which in turn handed them over to Estonia in 2009.
Although other NATO countries, including the United States, Britain and Poland, have allowed arms transfers to Ukraine, Germany has not given such permission to Estonia, according to the newspaper.
“Germany has not supported lethal arms exports in recent years,” Chancellor Olaf Scholz told a news conference on Friday.
According to the WSJ, quoting Estonian and German officials, Berlin applies this principle to these howitzers.
“Let’s hope Germany gives permission,” Kristo Enn Vaga, an adviser to Estonian Defense Minister Kalle Laanet, told the newspaper. “Estonia has confirmed that we want to provide all possible practical assistance to Ukraine.”
German government officials have said they are opposed to arms transfers to Ukraine, fearing that such supplies could escalate tensions and hamper negotiations.
As Russia draws large forces and military equipment to Ukraine’s borders, there is growing concern in the West about the possibility of a serious military conflict in Europe.
At a meeting in Lithuania at the end of last year, the Baltic defense ministers expressed their immediate readiness to provide non-military and military support to Ukraine, including the supply of arms.
Estonia has indicated that it intends to assist Ukraine with anti-tank weapons, such as Javelin missiles and 122-millimeter howitzers with ammunition, but explained that it still needs to obtain permission from the US, as well as Germany and Finland, before launching a final decision. owned howitzers.
It has already been reported that the US State Department has accepted the intention of the Baltic States to send missiles and other weapons produced in the United States to Ukraine.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Germany is one of the world’s largest manufacturers and exporters of arms, and its arms sales have increased by 21% between 2016 and 2020.
