In total, Italy plans to transfer 60 howitzers to Ukraine M109part of which has already been handed over to Ukrainian troops and is already at the front, he writes Ukrainian Pravdaquoting La Repubblica.

The Ukrainian military operates the M109 howitzerPhoto: Mustafa Ciftci / AFP / Profimedia

According to the publication, dozens of howitzers have been repaired with US funds, some of them are already on the front line. The decision to transfer these systems was made by the former government of Mario Draghi.

Images of at least 20 M109 howitzers loaded onto a train and allegedly headed for Ukraine have been circulating on social media these days.

“For several weeks, videos shot in Ukraine show how a powerful M109L is firing at Russian positions. These videos testify to the importance of Italy’s contribution to military resistance operations,” the newspaper writes.

According to the publication’s sources, a total of 60 howitzers have already been delivered to Kyiv or will be delivered in the near future.

Italy and France promised to transfer SAMP/T-MAMBA systems to Ukraine.

In February, current Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Maloni announced that Italy would send the Spada and Skyguard air defense systems to Ukraine in addition to the SAMP/T-MAMBA systems it plans to transfer to France.

“When there is an offensive, all weapons are defensive. At the moment, there is no question of sending fighter jets, this decision must be made with international partners. We focused on air defense systems, SAMP/T, Spada, Skyguard,” Maloney said during a press conference he held in Kyiv together with President Volodymyr Zelensky.

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