Germany announces swap deal with Greece for tanks to Ukraine

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Tuesday he had agreed a deal with Greece that would see Athens send Soviet-era military vehicles to Ukraine in exchange for more modern armour from Berlin.

“We will provide German armoured personnel carriers,” Scholz said after an EU summit in Brussels.

Berlin will send Marder transport tanks to Greece, which in turn will deliver Soviet-era BMP-1 combat tanks to Ukraine, according to Greek media reports.

“From the first moment, it was clear that we had to make the right choice, that is support Ukraine in all possible ways,” Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said during a visit to the Netherlands on Tuesday.

However, he conceded Greece retained “relatively close” ties with Russia for geographical reasons and the traditions of its Orthodox church.

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NATO member Greece sent Ukraine defensive equipment including Kalashnikovs, anti-tank weapons and ammunition in late February, drawing criticism from left-wing opposition parties.

The German government has faced criticism from Kyiv and domestic opponents for being too slow in sending weapons to Ukraine.