Germany handed over the first six Marder (Marten) armored fighting vehicles to Greece on the basis of an exchange agreement, according to which Athens will supply Ukraine with infantry fighting vehicles, reports the German agency DPA with reference to Agerpres.

The Greek General Staff announced on Tuesday that it had received six of the 40 Marder 1A3s promised by Berlin.

In return, Greece must hand over to Ukraine 40 Soviet-style BMP-1s received by Athens from East German warehouses.

“Ringtausch”, the mechanism by which Germany indirectly supplies weapons to Ukraine

This aid is part of what the Germans call the “Ringtausch”, a circular exchange system implemented by the German government with several countries for the indirect supply of arms to Ukraine.

The idea of ​​such a mechanism arose immediately after the start of the war in Ukraine, when the Ukrainian armed forces needed the fastest possible delivery of Soviet weapons systems, for the use of which they no longer require training.

Greece, however, insisted that German armored vehicles reach its territory before sending its own equipment to Ukraine, so as not to weaken the country’s defense capabilities. It is not known when Athens will make the delivery, the DPA agency notes.

Read also:

• Germany cannot send Marder tanks through Switzerland. Why are the Swiss against it?
• Berlin will supply weapons, armored vehicles and the Mars-II missile system, but not the tanks that Ukraine requested
• Ukraine declares new “disappointing signals” from Germany: “What is Berlin afraid of?”

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