German defense minister responds to criticism of arms supplies to Ukraine
In an interview with the daily BildBoris Pistorius, the German defense minister, responds to the comments of Dmytro Kuleba, the head of Ukrainian diplomacy, who criticized the insufficient supply of artillery ammunition and anti-aircraft missiles from the West.
Germany has “concluded new framework contracts to deliver more than 200,000 additional artillery shells this year alone. This will progress”says Mr. Pistorius. Bild recalls that in the summer of 2023 Ukraine fired up to 7,000 artillery shells per day, while the Russian army fired more than 20,000. The minister notes that the federal government also depends on the arms industry. “The industry is making incredible efforts, but it is still in a mode dating from before the start of the war. »
He rejects the idea of supplying German Taurus cruise missiles to kyiv, believing that they are superior to other missiles, including the Storm Shadow.
Mr. Pistorius returns to the criticisms of Dmytro Kuleba who sees in North Korea a more reliable ally for Russia – with regard to deliveries of artillery ammunition – than Western partners for Ukraine. “ It tends towards polarization and exaggeration. This is his right in the current situation in his country. However, I view North Korean deliveries from a slightly different perspective. It may be quantity, but quality is on a distinctly different level. »
The defense minister finds criticism of Germany’s arms deliveries unfair, especially when compared with other European countries. “We send transports almost every day (…)whether weapons, ammunition, even in small quantities. (…) However, we are currently facing a challenge, because production is not as fast as we would like. » He adds : “Russia is a dictatorship. And it shifted towards a war economy. These are two things we do not want in Germany. »