Luxembourg to Send 100 Anti-Tank Weapons, Military Vehicles to Ukraine

Luxembourg's Directorate of Defence has pledged military assistance to Ukraine, as well as various support measures.
 
On Monday 28 February 2022, Luxembourg's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, François Bausch, announced military assistance and support measures for Ukraine as the latter's army fights against an invading Russian force.

Following various requests from Ukraine and in light of the evolution of the situation in Ukraine, Luxembourg's Minister of Defence decided to provide the country with lethal and non-lethal equipment as well as logistical support and a financial contribution. The Grand Duchy will also help to reinforce military personnel in Lithuania as part of NATO's Enhanced Forward Presence (EFP).

As such, the Luxembourg Army will supply 100 anti-tank weapons of the Next Generation Light Anti-Tank Weapon (NLAW) type to the Ukrainian army. The Luxembourg Army will also provide Ukraine with four-wheel drive (4x4) vehicles such as Jeep Wranglers, as well as fifteen military tents.

As a member of the Multinational Multirole Tanker Transport (MRTT) Unit and jointly with the other member countries (Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Norway and the Czech Republic), Luxembourg is currently providing NATO with airborne refueling capabilities for an operation to protect Allied airspace for the duration of ongoing operations. In addition, Luxembourg's Defence is offering allied countries transport capacities for military or humanitarian equipment via its A400M aircraft or its service contract with Cargolux (Luxembourg's flag carrier cargo airline).

Since 2016, NATO has set up four multinational Battle Groups in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, on the basis of a rotation principle within the framework of EFP. The Luxembourg Army is currently present in Lithuania with four soldiers providing transport capacity within the Battle Group. Two additional soldiers were deployed to Lithuania on Monday morning to strengthen Luxembourg's presence, bringing the number of Luxembourg soldiers in Lithuania to six.

In addition to the financial contribution that Luxembourg already provides to Ukraine via a NATO fund, the Grand Duchy will contribute to the financial assistance measures of the European Peace Facility (EPF), which is intended to strengthen resilience to defend the civilian population and the sovereignty of Ukraine. The European contribution is expected to amount to €500 million, of which €450 million is intended for the purchase of lethal equipment and €50 million for the purchase of non-lethal equipment.

"It is our duty to help and support Ukraine and its citizens, who find themselves in a situation of war", stated Minister Bausch. "Faced with the urgency and the deterioration of the situation on the ground, the government did not hesitate to show solidarity and to make these means available in order to support the Ukrainian army in the fight against the Russian invader".