Berlin to send 40 Marder armored vehicles, Patriot system to Ukraine in Q1

German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said this at a briefing on January 6, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"As for the Marder, we are talking about a battalion - about 40 vehicles. These 40 vehicles should be handed over to Ukraine in the first quarter," he said.

He noted that training for Ukrainian soldiers to use the vehicles would take about eight weeks and would be provided in Germany.

The same package also includes a Patriot air defense system, and the transfer of a battery is scheduled for the first quarter.

Earlier reports said that Germany had decided to supply Ukraine with Marder IFVs and a Patriot battery, which was announced on January 5 after a phone call between German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and U.S. President Joe Biden, who for his part announced new aid from the United States.

Photo: Keystone/DPA