Kosovo announces first delivery of military aid package to Ukraine.

On March 19, 2024, during the 20th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, known as "Ramstein-20," held at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, Kosovo's Defense Minister, Ejup Maqedonci, announced his country's commitment to provide two military assistance packages to Ukraine, including armored vehicles and mortar shells.
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US M1117 Guardian Armored Personnel Carrier (Picture source: Wikimedia)

Minister Maqedonci elaborated that the first batch of aid, including trucks as well as tactical and armored vehicles, is slated for delivery to Ukraine in the following week. The second batch will focus on providing mortar artillery shells, thus directly addressing the urgent needs of Ukrainian forces at the front, especially in terms of ammunition.

The Kosovo Security Force (KSF), established in January 2009 primarily as a non-military organization with responsibilities in crisis response, civil protection, and explosive ordnance disposal, has since aimed to transform into a regular army meeting NATO standards. Despite divisions among NATO members and the alliance's formal opposition to such a development, the KSF has progressively enhanced its capabilities, including the acquisition of light armored vehicles from the United States starting in 2021. This capability upgrade was accompanied by the establishment of a military police unit in 2022 and a deployment to Kuwait alongside the Iowa National Guard.

Although specific details on the models of vehicles to be sent to Ukraine remain undisclosed, the KSF fleet, comprising a range of tactical, armored, and logistical vehicles primarily acquired from the United States and Türkiye, gives an insight into the potential aid being offered. Equipment such as the Mercedes Benz G-Class, Land Rover Defender, Otokar Akrep, Humvee, Otokar Cobra, M1117 Guardian, BMC Kirpi, BMC Vuran, as well as logistical trucks like the Daimler Truck Unimog, Mercedes Benz NG1017A, Iveco Trakker, MB Man, and HX44M 8X8, could thus be among Kosovo's contributions to the Ukrainian war effort, offering a spectrum of capabilities from light reconnaissance to armored troop transport and logistical support.