Germany to Triple Ukraine Ammo Supply in 2024
Germany plans to deliver three to four times more artillery ammunition to Ukraine in 2024 than in 2023, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius was quoted by The Kyiv Independent.
The EU's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, recently acknowledged that the EU will not be able to supply Ukraine with one million artillery shells by March. Only about half of the expected ammunition is expected to be delivered by the initial deadline.
"One lesson from this war is that ammunition is essential for operational readiness," Pistorius said.
Germany will spend over 3.5 billion euros on ammunition procurement in 2024, the official said, describing it as an "unprecedented" figure.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on February 14 that he expects 18 of NATO's 31 members, including Germany, to meet the target of spending at least 2% of their GDP on defence in 2024.
The need to increase defence spending was rekindled after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. For the first time since the end of the Cold War, Germany is expected to meet the 2% target, a German Defense Ministry spokesperson said.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
