U.S. welcomes German pledge to send 50 anti-aircraft guns to Ukraine

Ramstein (Reuters) – The U.S. government on Tuesday welcomed Germany’s decision to, for the first time, send heavy weapons to Ukraine.

“I think it’s significant that Germany announced that it is going to provide 50 Cheetah systems,” U.S. Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin said after talks with dozens of his counterparts at Ramstein in Germany, calling the Gepard anti-aircraft guns by their English name.

“I think those systems will provide real capability for Ukraine. And in terms of what else Germany will do going forward, again, that’s a sovereign decision, one the German leadership will make, and I don’t want to speculate on that,” he added.