Germany is doing its best to provide Ukraine with necessary military assistance, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has said. He recalled, however, that Berlin and Kiev are not part of the same alliance.
Speaking in an interview with German broadcaster ZDF on Tuesday, Pistorius dismissed speculation that Germany is dosing its aid to Ukraine in a bid to avert its defeat by Moscow, but also to prevent Kiev from scoring major wins.
“We deliver what we can. The same applies to almost all other allies and partners,” he said, adding that “Germany is not an ally of Ukraine and therefore not in an alliance.”
Pistorius went on to recall that Germany is Ukraine’s second-largest supporter, behind only the US. However, he admitted that the industrial base in Germany and the West is struggling to keep up with the high demand for military supplies.
“We currently have the problem that in certain areas the arms industry cannot deliver as quickly as the demand is there,” he stated. The minister also remarked that while weapons manufacturers are doing their best to increase output, Russia is doing the same despite unprecedented Western economic sanctions.