“No European army has been as experienced in combat for decades as that of Ukraine. No society is more resilient than the Ukrainian one. No defense industry is as innovative as the Ukrainian one”: with these words he announced Friedrich Merz the increase in production drone joint on German soil started this year between Germany and Ukraine. He did it together with Volodímir Zelenski and in the first intergovernmental consultations between both countries in the last 20 years.
Germany is the first supplier of war and logistical support to Ukraine, both leaders highlighted. And arms cooperation with Ukraine “benefits the security of our country and Europe as a whole,” Merz added. Ukrainian drones have demonstrated their high degree of operability and effectiveness, at “very competitive” prices, the chancellor continued. The shared purpose is to increase its production, started this year. The first drone was presented by Zelensky and the German Minister of Defense, Boris Pistoriuslast February, during the Munich Security Conference. The plan is to mass produce about 10,000 drones per yeara task that companies share Quantum Systems y Frontline Robotics. They will be used by both Ukraine and Germany.
Merz and Zelensky toured a display of these drones at the Foreign Ministry. The Ukrainian president highlighted the importance of these devices, which allow progress without putting the lives of soldiers at risk. kyiv claims to have recovered a Russian position these days thanks to an entirely robotic operation. According to Ukrainian data, robotic systems such as Ratel, TermMIT, Ardal, Rys, Zmoky, Protector and Volia have carried out about 22,000 operations in three months.
Détente with Budapest
The bilateral agreement on military matters was the strong point of the intergovernmental consultations in which the respective ministers involved in security, defense and foreign policy participated. The meeting in Berlin coincided with the relief with which Europe, in general, and especially Ukraine, have received the electoral victory in Hungary of the opposition Péter Magyar. Or, more specifically, the fall of the ultranationalist Víktor Orbán, the most powerful ally of Vladimir Putin within the EU, which keeps the 90 billion euros in EU loans to kyiv blocked and rejects the latest package of European sanctions against Moscow.
The Hungarian elections coincided with Orthodox Easter and mean “the victory of light over darkness,” Zelensky said. “Hungarians have shown with their vote, and with massive participation, that “The rise of right-wing populism is not irreversible.”said Merz.
The Ukrainian leader reiterated that the Druzhca pipeline, which runs through his country and supplies Russian oil to Hungary, will be operational again at the end of April. The pipeline was taken out of service at the end of April as a result of a Russian attack. Orbán has maintained his block on the EU loan, in retaliation for the delay in restoring service.
Subscribe to continue reading
