According to German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, the EU will not achieve its goal of delivering one million artillery shells to Ukraine by March 2024. Pistorius made this statement upon arriving at the meeting of EU defense ministers on Tuesday.
"We must assume that the one million mark will not be reached," said the minister. He noted that it would be correct to question whether the one million figure was ever realistic. "There were voices that said, 'Be careful, a million is easy to decide, there is money. But there must be production. Unfortunately, cautious voices are now right," added the minister.
He called on the industry to increase production and stated that EU countries are already working with manufacturers on this issue.
"We have made a significant contribution through our framework agreements and will continue to do so. We are negotiating with the defense industry. Production must be increased and accelerated. This is the agenda," Pistorius emphasized.
He also confirmed Germany's plans for new assistance to Ukraine, amounting to at least eight billion euros next year. According to Pistorius, this specifically involves eight billion euros and an additional two billion euros for commitments.
He added that this would be a strong signal that Germany continues to support Ukraine. Pistorius expressed hope that other partners would provide more assistance to Ukraine.
Earlier, the minister indirectly confirmed media reports that military support for Ukraine from Germany is expected to increase from four to eight billion euros in 2024.
