Ukraine to be armed with Western equipment after war, German chancellor says

Ukraine will be equipped with Western-made weapons after its full-scale war with Russia, German chancellor Olaf Scholz believes.

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In an interview with German newspaper Welt, Mr Scholz said the West intends to talk about security guarantees for Ukraine in the future, including providing the Ukrainian army with weapons.

"After the war, Ukraine will be equipped with Western-made weapons," he stressed.

"It is also clear that then we will have to discuss what security guarantees can be provided in the post-war situation."

Ukraine has been exhausting its stockpiles of Soviet equipment – to which the army has long been accustomed to – as Russia launched a full-scale invasion last February.

While some countries, including Czechia and Poland, have been donating their Soviet-era material to Kyiv, its stockpiles are steadily depleting, making Ukraine transition to Western equipment on-the-go.

Last month, Ukraine’s defence minister, Oleksii Reznikov, said NATO countries would be interested in supplying Ukraine with their weapons, helping develop their defence industry and increase their revenues.