The production of weapons and ammunition for Ukraine is going slower than planned, he admits, explaining that this is not due to political or financial decisions.
Ukraine will receive 200 thousand artillery ammunition from Germany in the coming months . German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius noted that the countries’ defense industries cannot produce relevant products quickly enough.
In an interview with the German ZDF, the politician, commenting on the supply of Western weapons to Ukraine, indicated that they are now lagging behind the goals of partner countries. Pistorius noted that supply plans are falling short due to the fact that the countries’ defense industries cannot produce the required quantities quickly.
Thus, speaking about the EU goal to supply Ukraine with a million artillery ammunition by spring, he noted: “This figure gave rise to expectations that ultimately did not materialize. For an arms industry that dates back to peacetime, it is not easy to produce a million.”
At the same time, the Minister of Defense promises improvement: “We can assume that it will be better in the coming months.” According to him, Germany alone will supply almost 200 thousand ammunition.
“But everything takes time, and this is not a matter of political decisions or financial resources,” Pistorius emphasized.
He admits: “The problem we currently have is that the arms industry cannot supply certain areas as quickly as needed.” This applies to ammunition, as well as air defense systems. But the defense industry is increasing capacity “wherever it can.”
The minister emphasized that it takes time to create factory capacities and create appropriate reserves of raw materials in order to quickly produce.
As an example, he cites the production of Gepard tank ammunition, which Germany had to restore. Pistorius noted that this happened quickly, but it also took six months.
Weapons for Ukraine – what is known
In March, the EU decided to send 1 million ammunition to Ukraine over the next year. According to the plans, the shells should be provided from the own reserves of the countries participating in the program, and compensation will be provided from the EU budget. The EU agreed to spend 1 billion euros for these purposes.
In November, Bloomberg, citing sources, reported that the European Union informed member states that the bloc was unlikely to fulfill its commitment to provide Ukraine with 1 million rounds of artillery ammunition by March 2024 . This makes it difficult for Kyiv to keep up with Russia’s own production.
Under plans drawn up earlier this year, the EU committed to supply Ukraine with artillery ammunition over a 12-month period, first by using existing stocks and then through joint procurement contracts and increasing industrial capacity.
Against the backdrop of the fact that the weapons stocks of Western partners are depleted, and the need at the front remains extremely high, Kyiv is trying to increase its own production.
Source : Unian
