Defense experts from the German parties Alliance 90/Green, SPD and FDP have called on the German government to increase arms supplies to Ukraine, even if this could temporarily weaken the Bundeswehr’s combat capability. Sara Nanni and Free Democrat Alexander Müller criticized Berlin’s current position that maintaining the Bundeswehr’s ability to defend Germany and NATO takes priority over assistance to Ukraine.

The authors of the article note that so far the government has explained the relatively small amount of military assistance to Ukraine by the shortage of military equipment in the German army itself. “This is nothing more than a constructed conflict of objectives, as Europe’s security and stability are being defended in Ukraine,” they said. In their view, Germany is already doing a lot to help Ukraine, but as the most economically important country, it could do even more. “It is necessary to constantly supply Ukraine with weapons systems rather than periodically responding to specific challenges,” the authors of the article explained.

Three Bundestag members believe this requires coordinated action with international partners and the defense industry. “This will allow for a temporary reduction in the Bundeswehr’s priority level – for example, providing the German army with already used equipment, which will need to be replaced as soon as possible, and this, in turn, can be achieved by increasing the efficiency of the defense industry. German”, believe the authors of the article.