Germany will hand over decommissioned Sea King MK41 multi-purpose military helicopters to Ukraine, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced on January 23. This will be the first delivery of military helicopters from Germany to Ukraine, Kyiv Independent reports.

Ukraine will receive six Sea King Mk41 multipurpose helicopters along with a set of spare parts. Germany will also provide training for the Ukrainian military.

Kyiv has called for increased air defense systems for Ukraine after Russia carried out massive airstrikes across the country during the winter holidays, killing and injuring dozens of civilians.

“Sea King is a helicopter that has proven itself, is reliable and will help Ukrainians in many areas: from reconnaissance over the Black Sea to transporting soldiers,” Pistorius said during a meeting of the Contact Group on Defense Issues in Ukraine. “This is the first German delivery of this type.”

The Defense Contact Group of Ukraine is a coalition of 50 countries and organizations that coordinate military donations and packages to support Ukraine’s defense against Russia.

Earlier this month, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told US President Joe Biden that Berlin would unilaterally provide Ukraine with military goods worth more than seven billion euros in 2024.

Germany has consistently supported Ukraine by supplying weapons and equipment since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Russia. Supplies are made at the expense of the German military and government contracts with private companies.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, in an interview with German media Bild, Welt TV and Politico on Tuesday, criticized the West’s insufficient supply of artillery ammunition and anti-aircraft missiles after new strikes by Russia.

“The attacks (on Tuesday) on Kyiv and Kharkiv clearly demonstrate the need to provide more air defense systems and additional anti-aircraft missiles,” Dmytro Kuleba told Die Welt.