Germany needs to restructure its defense policy in the light of arms supplies to Ukraine, Boris Pistorius believes
TOKYO, June 4. /tass/. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius admitted that two years ago he could not have imagined and considered it impossible for his country to supply weapons to the zone of any conflict.
"If someone had told me two years ago that Germany would supply heavy weapons, ammunition, etc. to a war-torn region, I would not have believed it. I would say that this is impossible," he said on Sunday, speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue international security forum in Singapore. The broadcast was conducted on the forum's website.
Pistorius explained that Germany's arms supplies to Ukraine are a "real paradigm shift" that requires the German government to restructure its defense policy, including in the field of arms export control.
Earlier this week, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg expressed the opinion that NATO countries need to increase the production of weapons, as weapons stocks have been depleted due to supplies to Kiev. Prior to that, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrel, also noted that the European Union had depleted its military reserves by providing weapons to Ukraine.