German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announces new coalition of long-range artillery forces to aid Ukraine

To aid Ukraine, which completed its second anniversary of war with Russia last month, German Chancellor Olaf Scholzrevealed plans for a new coalition aimed at bolstering the country's defences. The announcement came during a press conference in Berlin, where Chancellor Scholz stated, "We are creating a new coalition of long-range artillery forces."

Scholz was present alongside French President Emmanuel Macron and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. This move signifies a commitment to more robust military cooperation among the Western allies in supporting Ukraine's defense against Russian aggression.

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Scholz, while highlighting the coalition's efforts to increasing military assistance to Ukraine, stated, "Among other things, we will now purchase even more weapons for Ukraine, on the entire world market."

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Notably, the funding for these acquisitions will come from interest accrued from frozen Russian assets, as per the German PM. This initiative has underscored a unified stance among western allies in providing tangible support to Ukraine's security efforts amidst ongoing tensions with Russia even as the US on March 12 also announced "additional security assistance as an extraordinary measure to address some of Ukraine's most pressing security and defense needs."

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US Department of Defence in a statement said, "This announcement is the Biden Administration's fifty-fifth tranche of equipment to be provided from DoD inventories for Ukraine since August 2021. This Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) package is valued at up to $300 million and includes capabilities to support Ukraine's immediate air defense, artillery, and anti-tank requirements."

This comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 13 cautioned the West, stating that Moscow was technically ready for nuclear war. Putin continued by saying that any deployment of US troops to Ukraine would result in an escalation of tensions.

Earlier, European Union member states also unanimously agreed a 5 billion euros ($5.48bn) allocation for military assistance to Ukraine. This decision provides Kyiv with crucial support amid its challenges in countering Russianinvasion.

(With inputs from agencies)

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