Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Germany will increase its arms deliveries by deploying 2,700 anti-aircraft missiles to the crisis zone, a government source told AFP on Thursday.
According to the source, the administration "authorised further help for Ukraine," including the delivery of Soviet-made STRELA anti-aircraft missiles that were previously deployed by the army of communist East Germany.
The government said on Wednesday that Germany's first arms shipment, consisting of 1,000 anti-tank and 500 anti-aircraft missiles, has already arrived at the front lines.
Germany made the choice after abandoning a long-standing policy of not supplying weapons to combat zones, which came from the country's Nazi-era war guilt.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Saturday that the Russian invasion was a "changing point in history" that forced Germany to reconsider its objectives.
In response to the Russian threat, Germany vowed to invest 100 billion euros ($111 billion) in strengthening its own armed capabilities.
On Saturday, the cabinet also approved the delivery to Ukraine of German-made armaments from other nations, including 400 anti-tank rocket launchers from the Netherlands.
Prior to the conflict's intensification, Germany had only committed to providing helmets and volunteered to assist in the construction of a field hospital in Ukraine.