German Defense Minister Opposes 'All-Out' for Ukraine

Germany's defense minister warned last month that European nations have less than a decade to bolster their military capabilities in the face of a possible armed confrontation with Russia and predicted the United States would shift its focus to the Asia-Pacific region.

In an interview published on January 19, Mr. Pistorius rejected criticism that Germany was not sending enough weapons to Ukraine, pointing out that Berlin was the second-largest contributor to Kiev after the United States. However, he stressed that it was impossible to deliver German-made long-range Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine.

“We have provided everything we can so far,” Mr Pistorius said, adding that Germany was carefully considering the potential impact of each new shipment to Ukraine. Mr Pistorius warned that Berlin also had to “keep an eye on its own defence capabilities”, meaning it could not “go all out” for Ukraine as some countries were demanding.

German Defense Minister believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin could eventually “attack a NATO country,” while admitting that such a scenario is unlikely at present. He concluded that Germany must radically upgrade its armed forces and civil defense.

A survey last month found that only 17% of German adults were prepared to defend their country without question in the event of a military conflict. Earlier this week, Chancellor Olaf Scholz confirmed that Berlin would spend more than 7 billion euros ($7.6 billion) in military aid on Ukraine this year.

According to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, Berlin has provided Kiev with nearly $23 billion in aid between February 2022 and November 2023. Since Kiev's summer counteroffensive failed without major gains and heavy losses, top Ukrainian officials have increasingly pressured Western countries to provide more weapons./.