TEHRAN, Nov. 22 (MNA) – German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced on Tuesday, following the meeting with Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, that Berlin will be providing Kyiv with further support valued at €1.3 billion.

The latest aid package encompasses, among other things, four further IRIS T-SLM air defense systems and artillery ammunition.

Although the European Union will likely miss its self-imposed deadline to deliver 1 million artillery shells to Ukraine by March 2024, Pistorius said that the German government included an additional 20,000 155-mm artillery shells to its already announced 140,000 for next year.

German funding for Ukraine's defense amounts to €5.4 billion for 2023 after €2 billion in 2022. The German government had been planning to double its 2024 aid plan for Ukraine from €4 billion to €8 billion; however, Germany's current budget crisis has thrown this into doubt.

MP/IranPress