German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius passed delivery of the first of dozens of new German-made RCH 155 self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine to bolster the country's artillery on Monday.
" Ukraine can rely on Germany, and this is an important signal. And Germany is prepared to take responsibility in Europe," Pistorius said on Monday in the central German city of Kassel, where the tank manufacturer KNDS produces the weapon system.
Ukraine's Representative in Germany, Oleksii Makeiev, formally received the initial of 54 planned wheeled artillery guns scheduled for his country.
The initial six of these systems will remain in Germany and be employed to train Ukrainian military personnel.
"In our view, what we require are not mediators but allies," said the ambassador, a reference to the long-standing debate in the Western world about potential talks to bring an end to the ongoing conflict.
Peace must be worked for," Makeiev said, "and it is reassuring to know that Germany is in support of Ukraine.
KNDS arose from the combination of the German defensive equipment manufacturer Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) with the French armaments company Nexter.
The company describes the new RCH 155 artillery system as the "world's most modern wheeled howitzer," allowing it to fire on the move for the first time.
The turret can be operated from a distance and controlled from outside the vehicle. The new and mainly automated artillery system can be crewed by just two soldiers.
The howitzer - a 155mm gun mounted on an armoured four-wheeled vehicle - will afterwards also be supplied to the German military.
KNDS also manufactures the Panzerhaubitze 2000, a tracked gun system that utilises the same 155mm gun.
