Weapons provided by Germany to Ukraine become Ukrainian property upon transfer and can be used by Ukraine as it deems necessary and appropriate. This was stated by Arno Kollatz, spokesperson for the German Ministry of Defense, at a briefing on Monday, as reported by a correspondent for Ukrinform.
According to Kollatz, the Ministry of Defense does not question the legality of actions in Kursk region: international law allows for military actions on the territory of an aggressor state in defense of one's own country. Thus, this does not impose any special conditions on the use of weapons provided by the Bundeswehr.
“Once the weapons from Germany are transferred to Ukraine, they belong to Ukraine; they are Ukrainian weapons… There are no restrictions, so Ukraine is free to choose its options,” the officer said, adding that Ukraine must adhere to international law.
Kollatz clarified that the use of long-range weapons is a separate political issue, but this is not the case in this instance.
Deputy Government Spokesperson Wolfgang Büchner added that Berlin is consulting intensively with close allies and the Ukrainian government regarding “specific weapon systems” used by Ukraine.
Büchner did not assess the operation in Kursk Oblast, noting that the military situation is constantly changing, with reports from the field being “conflicting and sometimes deliberately falsified.” This is a very secret operation, “prepared without feedback,” he added, noting that everything indicates it is a limited operation, so it is too early to evaluate it.
