Germany and the US will send armoured fighting vehicles to Ukraine, the White House said, in a move that will deliver a big boost to Kyiv’s offensive capabilities, writes The Financial Times..

The deliveries mark a significant shift for Germany’s chancellor Olaf Scholz, who has been reluctant to provide Ukraine with heavy weaponry amid fears it could drag NATO into the war.

Scholz spoke by phone with US president Joe Biden on Thursday to co-ordinate the two governments’ positions. The US agreed to send Bradley fighting vehicles, while Germany is providing Marder infantry fighting vehicles and will also join the US in sending a Patriot missile battery to Kyiv.

Robert Habeck, the German economy minister and deputy chancellor, said it was a “good decision”. “Ever since the war began we have expanded our support, in close co-ordination with our partners,” he said. “It’s logical that we also take this step. Ukraine has the right to defend itself against the Russian attack, and we have a duty to help it”.

Scholz and Biden in a statement “expressed their common determination to continue to provide the necessary financial, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support to Ukraine for as long as needed”.