As of: February 10, 2024, 5:25 a.m
By: Bona Hyun
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Press
Split
As a result of the war in Ukraine, there are ammunition shortages on the Kiev front.
But weapons could become scarcer not only in Ukraine.
Brussels – Gloomy forecast in the Ukraine war: Europe is apparently lagging behind in weapons production.
Apparently the Ukrainian armed forces use huge amounts of ammunition every day and fire more at the front than can be produced in Europe.
If former General Marc Thys has his way, it will take years until Europe has built up the necessary production capacity for weapons and ammunition to help Ukraine and re-equip national armed forces.
Concern about Europe's weapons production - ex-general warns of consequences
“It's not a joke, we're in deep shit,” Thys, who retired in 2023, told
Politico
magazine on Thursday (February 8, 2024).
According to Thys, at the start of Russia's war against Ukraine in early 2022, senior commanders warned that it would take "five to seven years" to upgrade Western industry to the point of deterrence.
Ukrainian soldiers and a German-supplied Leopard 2 tank in Donetsk Oblast in eastern Ukraine.
© IMAGO/Funke Photo Services
Thys had already expressed similar concerns about the shortage of ammunition and weapons production in the VRT panel “De afspraak” (“The Appointment”) in December 2023 - at that time only referring to Belgium.
A glaring shortage of ammunition would put the country in distress if war broke out.
“Then we have to start throwing stones after just a few hours,” says Thys.
Ukraine complains about ammunition shortages at the front and calls on the EU to deliver weapons more quickly
Concerns about Europe's weapons production deficits have long since reached Ukraine.
Ukraine had repeatedly emphasized the bottlenecks at the front.
The reactions may have been all the more bitter when the EU recently admitted that its plans to supply Ukraine with artillery shells had failed.
Of the promised quantity of one million shots, only a little more than half will probably have been delivered by March.
Ukraine once again drew attention to the seriousness of the situation and urged the EU to make greater efforts to procure artillery ammunition for its country's defensive war against Russia.
“We have here the biggest war in Europe since World War II and we need these shells to defend Europe,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Wednesday (February 7) at a press conference with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borell in Kiev.
“We are talking here today about the defense of Europe and this requires extraordinary measures.”
Defense and armaments industry in the Ukraine war: Germany becomes a hub
Germany, as one of the Western supporters, received great recognition for the extent of its military and financial aid to Ukraine on the sidelines of a meeting between EU states and its Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umjerov in Brussels (end of January 2024).
“Germany is doing a great job and I am grateful that it wants to provide 8 billion euros for Ukraine this year,” said Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur.
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In any case, Germany could play an important role in the international development of a defense industry in the Ukraine war.
NATO is working very intensively to rebuild a robust, resilient reinforcement and supply network.
You need a resilient infrastructure, NATO Lieutenant General Alexander Sollfrank told the British
Times in Ulm.
Germany could be chosen as a central "hub" for NATO's reinforcement and supply lines in Europe, NATO leaders told the
Times
.
This could range from munitions factories and command centers to power plants, bridges and railways.
(bohy)