Ukraine asks Germany to donate old warships – Reports

Berlin: Ukraine has asked Germany, though in vain, to give it old corvettes amid a military standoff with Russia, according to sources who spoke with the Frankfurter Allgemeine daily.
The German newspaper said Foreign Minister Heiko Maas balked at the suggestion, while Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer was open to the possibility of supplying ships to Ukraine.
A list of weapons that Ukraine requested from Germany reportedly included air and anti-ship defense systems and equipment used for mine clearing.
Despite the top diplomat’s reservations, foreign affairs committee chairman Norbert Roettgen told the paper that Germany should not rule out giving Ukraine “purely defensive weapon systems” in the face of Russia’s perceived aggression.
Russia has repeatedly rejected claims that it was amassing troops near Ukraine to invade its neighbor. Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov argued that Russia was free to move personnel anywhere within its territory.