The Independent View: Germany Enlists Defense Firms To Supply Ukraine With Weapons

Chancellor Olaf Scholz, said Germany has enlisted the Country’s Defense Contractors to help boost deliveries of Weapons to Ukraine, after exhausting available stocks from its own Armed Forces.

“We asked the German defense industry to tell us what equipment it can deliver quickly,” Scholz said Tuesday, after a Video Call with Group of Seven counterparts. “Ukraine made a selection from this list and we’ll make the necessary money available to pay for it.” He did Not provide further details.

Scholz has come under intense pressure, including from Members of his own Ruling Coalition, to increase Weapons deliveries to Ukraine beyond equipment already provided, like Anti-Tank Rockets and Protective gear.

Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock, a Member of the traditionally Pacifist Greens Party, called last week for Shipments of Heavy Weapons, while Anton Hofreiter, a Senior Greens Lawmaker, who Chairs the Lower House of Parliament’s Europe Committee, said Scholz’s apparent caution was undermining Germany’s Image abroad as a reliable ally.

Scholz said G-7 allies agreed that it makes the most sense to focus on Delivering Russian-produced Arms and Weapons systems to Ukraine from Eastern European NATO Member states. In a Second step, Germany would then fill the Gap by providing Modern Military gear to those allies in Eastern Europe.

As well as the G-7 Leaders, the Presidents of Poland and Romania, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and European Council President Charles Michel, took part in Tuesday’s Video Call.

“Immediate and speedy deployability and availability is the key here” for Ukraine, Scholz said.

One of Baerbock’s Deputies, Tobias Lindner, said earlier Tuesday, that Germany “ranks among the biggest military suppliers to Ukraine.”

“Chancellor Scholz underlined that everything that makes sense and is effective quickly will be delivered to Ukraine,” Lindner said during a Virtual George Washington University event. “Russia must not win this war.”

He added that Germany will “try to match recent Ukrainian requests for heavy artillery, long-range air defense, coastal defense and armored personnel carriers.”