Germany should send Ukraine Marders - chair of Bundestag Defense Committee

The head of the Defense Committee of the German Bundestag, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, has called on the government to reconsider its position regarding the supply of tanks to Ukraine.

A politician with the Free Democratic Party, which is part of the ruling coalition, raised the issue in an interview with Süddeutsche Zeitung, Ukrinform reports.

"We should start redeploying the Marder infantry fighting vehicle to Ukraine now and begin training troops to operate it immediately... We definitely need to move now," Strack-Zimmermann said.

She called "positive" the decision of France, which plans to send Ukraine its AMX-10 RC tanks equipped with a 105 mm gun.

"It is important that our Western partners are again the first to take the step they could have expected from us," the deputy reproached. She noted that the Marders are in sufficient quantity in the Bundeswehr warehouses, as well as ammunition for them.

The decision of French President Emmanuel Macron increases pressure on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who has always justified his refusal to transfer Leopard 2 tanks and Marders to Ukraine by the fact that none of the NATO allies do so, so Germany will not be the first.

In addition, U.S. President Joe Biden confirmed on Thursday that he is considering the possibility of supplying Ukraine with Bradley Fighting Vehicles.

Ukraine has been asking the Federal Republic of Germany to provide it with tanks for months, but the country's leadership constantly finds excuses to refrain from such supplies. Recently, the pressure on the chancellor in this matter, including from the parties of the ruling coalition, has been rising.

Photo: Michael Kappeler/dpa