Greece and Germany agreed transfer of 40 Soviet BMP-1s to Ukraine

The Greek and German leaders agreed that Greece would deliver its 40 BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicles (IFV) to Ukraine in exchange for 40 German Marder IFVs:

“Following the decision of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the Greek Minister of National Defence, Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos and the German Defence Minister, Christine Lambrecht, agreed, in support of Ukraine’s brave defence against Russia’s ongoing aggression, that Greece delivers to Ukraine 40 BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicles, which will be replaced by 40 MARDER infantry fighting vehicles, that Germany will deliver to Greece,” the Greek Ministry of Defense reported on September 16.

Previously, German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht promised to “soon” complete the circular exchange with Greece so that Ukraine could receive Soviet-made infantry fighting vehicles while rejecting direct deliveries of Marders to Ukraine.

In late May, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced an exchange in which Germany would transfer 50 German Marder armored personnel carriers to Greece, and Greece would quickly supply Soviet-made armored vehicles to Ukraine. Thus, it took almost four months to agree on the “round exchange.”

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