According to Kallas, EU states should make money available, which will then be used to award large-scale contracts to the defense industry via the EU. The process could allow industry to make the investments needed to scale up production.
“Russia fires as many artillery shells in one day as Europe produces in one month,” added Kallas, pointing out that the Russian defense industry is currently working in three shifts. In the EU, production capacities would have to be expanded quickly. Ukraine cannot win the war without ammunition. Borrell said: “We are in war mode.” It is now a matter of reacting quickly.
Von der Leyen for purchase guarantees
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had already campaigned for purchase guarantees for the defense industry at the security conference on Saturday. These could give companies the opportunity to invest more quickly in production lines and increase delivery volume.
“We must now do what we did during the pandemic,” she said, referring to contracts with pharmaceutical companies to speed up the production of CoV vaccines. Purchase guarantees could now give the defense industry the opportunity to invest more quickly in production lines and increase supply volumes.
According to Kallas, the European Peace Facility could also play a role. It is a financing instrument through which the EU already supports arms and equipment supplies to Ukraine and training programs for the armed forces. To support the Ukrainian armed forces, 3.6 billion euros have already been released.
Battle against “Goliath”
At the beginning of the MSC, the call for arms deliveries also came from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In a video speech, he said he expected the war to end in 2023: “Goliath has already started to lose. Goliath will definitely fall this year,” said the President.
He compared his country to the biblical David who had to defend himself against a Russian Goliath. There is “no alternative to our victory,” said Zelensky, who urged the West to speed up the delivery of arms and support to his country.
“Ammunition, Artillery, Tanks”
If Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has his way, Ukraine needs “ammunition, artillery, tanks”. That’s what Kuleba said in Munich at a panel discussion with his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Baerbock repeated her request to the allies to provide Ukraine with Leopard 2 main battle tanks. Blinken said on the issue of ammunition, every corner of the world is being studied with this in mind.
In this context, Kiev’s Mayor Vitaly Klitschko showed no understanding for restrictions on arms deliveries. His country will win the war, he tells the “Bild am Sonntag”. “But we urgently need more weapons, ammunition and fighter jets for this,” Klitschko told “Bild”: “I don’t understand why there are always new red lines. One thing is clear: we have to reconquer our country, and for that we need everything that is necessary.”
Kyiv also wants controversial ammunition
At the MSC on Friday, Deputy Prime Minister Olexander Kubrakov also called for cluster and phosphorus munitions for Kiev – the use of both weapons is, however, very controversial. Like Russia, his country also wants to use this “type of weaponry”.
“It’s our territory,” Kubrakov said. He understands the difficulty because of conventions, but this type of ammunition can help to withstand the attackers. Cluster munitions are munitions that explode in the air over the target, releasing many small explosive devices. Phosphorus munitions can cause severe burns and poisoning in humans.
Pfeifer (ORF) on new Ukrainian demands
Representatives of Ukraine recently also demanded the delivery of cluster munitions and phosphorus bombs – will this taboo also be broken after the delivery of main battle tanks? ZIB foreign expert Andreas Pfeifer reports on the Munich Security Conference.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg immediately rejected Ukraine’s request. “NATO neither recommended nor supplied these types of weapons. We supply artillery and other types of weapons, but no cluster bombs.”
