Supply of anti-aircraft missiles, shells to Ukraine delayed, but Berlin growing capacity

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius acknowledged delays in the supply of weapons to Ukraine, but assured that his country would increase production capacity "as soon as possible", reports DW.

"We have a well-known problem: the defense industry is not keeping up with the demand that exists in certain areas," he said, adding that this applies to both munitions and air defense systems.

According to Pistorius, the defense industry is building up capacity "wherever it can," but "it's a matter of speed, which you can't have unlimited influence over."

The German defense chief explained that it takes time to open a factory and create the necessary stocks, so that later it will be possible to produce quickly and without interruption.

As an example, Pistorius cited the production of ammunition for the Gepard anti-aircraft self-propelled gun, which Germany had to restore. According to him, "although it was done relatively quickly, it still took half a year."

On November 21, the German defense minister announced a new aid package worth 1.3 billion euros, which includes additional Iris-T systems for 2024-2025 and shells.

On December 2, Ukraine received a new batch of military aid from German allies.