German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius pointed out that Ukraine has been fighting against Russia for 10 years and said that Russia is now the biggest threat in the Euro-Atlantic region.
Pistorius made a statement before the Ukraine Defense Contact Group Meeting held as part of the NATO Defense Ministers Meeting in Brussels, Belgium.
Pointing out that it is the 2nd year of Russia’s war against Ukraine and the 10th year of the annexation of Crimea, Pistorius said, “Ukraine has been defending itself against Russia for 10 years. This once again makes it clear that Russia is currently the biggest threat in the Euro-Atlantic region.”
Boris Pistorius stated that in the last two years, immediate assistance to Ukraine has been addressed, now long-term support is important, and that ensuring air defense capability for Ukraine will be the main issue in the future.
Stating that lessons have been learned from the Russian-Ukrainian war about the importance of ammunition, Pistorius said: “In the end, the war in Ukraine will be determined on the mass production lines in the countries producing (ammunition) in the world. There is not enough ammunition.”
Therefore, Pistorius stated that he was pleased to lay the foundation of the ammunition production factory in Germany and that the German government allocated 3.5 billion euros for ammunition expenditures in the 2024 budget, and that in 2024 they will provide Ukraine with 3-4 times the amount of artillery shells provided in 2023.
German Defense Minister Pistorius reacted to the discussions of some politicians on the need to create a nuclear deterrence system in Europe after former US President Donald Trump’s threat to “not prevent any Russian attack on allies that do not fulfill their financial obligations to NATO”.
Pistorius said that he finds it unnecessary to have heated debates at the wrong time and to put every word of someone who wants to be a candidate in the US presidential election campaign on a golden scale or just react to it.
“We need to do our own homework,” Pistorius said, emphasizing that it would be good not to constantly look at the possible presidential candidate of the republicans (in the US) or the elections in the US like a rabbit looks at a snake.
Boris Pistorius stated that this is a very complex discussion and that Donald Trump has not even mentioned nuclear weapons.
