The German government has pledged to further increase military support for Ukraine.

After her return from Odessa, Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) announced the delivery of 16 Slovakian-made Zuzana 2 self-propelled howitzers for the coming year.

Helen Bubrowski

Political correspondent in Berlin.

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Germany, Denmark and Norway are financing the 92 million euro project equally.

According to the Defense Ministry, the agreement was signed at the Copenhagen donor conference in August.

According to the manufacturer, the Zuzana 2 howitzers can fire all types of 155 millimeter caliber NATO ammunition.

During her visit to Ukraine, Lambrecht also promised the rapid delivery of a first unit of the Iris-T SLM air defense system.

Germany initially wants to make four of the systems, each costing 140 million euros, available to Ukraine.

Funding for three more systems has been secured.

In the Russian war of aggression, air defense "has meanwhile become a very central focus," said Lambrecht on Sunday in the ARD program "Report from Berlin".

It is important to support Ukraine in air defense.

"Germany will stand by Ukraine's side."

During her trip, the minister herself had to seek shelter in a bunker twice during air raids.

It was Lambrecht's first visit to the Ukraine since the beginning of the war.

For security reasons, the trip was not made public until Saturday evening.

Federal government continues to refuse delivery of western tanks

After her return, Lambrecht promised that Germany would “still get involved in many different ways and again – as before – together with partners”.

She said that Ukraine "can now be quickly supplied with about a hundred tanks" via the ring exchange procedure.

In the ring exchange, Ukraine is to receive tanks of Soviet design from Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Greece.

In return, these countries receive modern tanks from Germany.

The federal government continues to refuse direct deliveries of western-style tanks.

Meanwhile, there was a controversy between Lambrecht and Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, also SPD, over Germany's role in the war.

Lauterbach tweeted on Saturday: "We are at war with Putin and not his psychotherapists." It is questionable whether he wanted to contradict the German attitude that Germany should not become a party to the war, it is likely to be a thoughtless statement.

Lauterbach had responded to the demand that individual NATO countries should guarantee Russia that Ukraine would not be included in the alliance.

Lambrecht said on Sunday: "It is very clear - both for the German federal government and for NATO as a whole: we will not become a war party."