Germany to send Ukraine more tanks, IFVs, Patriot launchers

PHOTO CAPTION: A German army Marder infantry fighting vehicle with the 391st Mechanized Infantry Battalion lays suppressive fire at Vaziani Training Area, Georgia, Aug. 5, 2018. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Kris Bonet via U.S. Defense Visual Information Distribution Service)

VILNIUS (Reuters) - The German government has finalised a 700-million-euro ($770.28 million) military aid package for Ukraine, the defence ministry said on Tuesday, the first day of a NATO summit in Vilnius.

The package includes two Patriot launchers from Bundeswehr stock, 40 additional Marder infantry fighting vehicles, 25 additional 1 A5 main battle tanks, as well as five Bergepanzer 2 tanks, the ministry said.

It includes an additional 20,000 rounds of artillery ammunition and 5,000 rounds of 155 mm smoke ammunition, the ministry added.

The package "serves Ukraine's priorities: air defence, tanks, artillery ... with it, we are making an important contribution to strengthening Ukraine's sustainability," defence minister Boris Pistorius said in a statement.

($1 = 0.9088 euros)

(Reporting by Sabine Siebold, Writing by Friederike Heine, Editing by Rachel More)

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