The head of the Bundestag Defense Committee, Marie-Agness Struck-Zimmermann of the Free Democratic Party called on the federal government to deliver 50 Marder infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine as quickly as possible.

This was reported by the German publication Bild.

The politician also called for transparent communication between German services and Ukraine on security concerns after the delivery, as well as the creation of a special coordinator for the delivery of weapons.

Struck-Zimmermann insists that this should happen immediately or before the parliamentary summer recess in July.

Earlier German media reported that Olaf Scholz's office had been blocking the delivery of Marder BMPs from industrial stocks for weeks. In addition, according to an internal report, the Bundeswehr has 32 vehicles left to supply.

Free Democrat spokesman Alexander Graf Lambsdorf also supported the demand for Marder delivery.

"It would be the first Western armored fighting vehicle in the Donbass, but the Ukrainian armed forces must be able to transport their soldiers safely. That's what the Marder achieves - and its combat power is much lower than the Gepard, whose deliveries have already been approved by the federal government," he said.

The German Federal Security Council has been blocking the export of 100 Marder infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine for more than a month, a request for deliveries of which was filed by the manufacturer Rheinmetall.

Bild also reported that the Bundeswehr has spare armored vehicles, including Marder BMPs, which, however, are not provided to Ukraine.