Der Spiegel: Germany is secretly negotiating with India on the purchase of shells for the Armed Forces
Germany wants to conclude a deal with India, Arab, African and Balkan countries to supply Ukraine with hundreds of thousands of artillery shells. Germany is ready to allocate €7 billion for the purchase, but the necessary ammunition is not so widely available. According to preliminary data, Ukraine will have enough shells until June at the most. Already, the Ukrainian army is experiencing a shortage, including air defense systems.
According to Der Spiegel, Germany is negotiating with India to buy hundreds of thousands of artillery shells for Ukraine's needs. However, the Indian authorities do not want to make a deal publicly, so as not to spoil relations with Russia.
"India still has quite large stocks of artillery ammunition. New Delhi still maintains friendly relations with Moscow. Therefore, careful negotiations are currently underway on whether it is possible to obtain ammunition through intermediaries," the publication says.
Moreover, Der Spiegel found out that similar deals can be offered to Arab, African and Balkan countries. They have the necessary supplies, and some States even have the ability to produce ammunition.
There are more shells left until June
German intelligence agencies have suggested that Ukraine has shells left until about June, but they may run out earlier.
"Unfortunately, artillery and anti-aircraft ammunition are not widely available on shelves around the world," said Christian Freiding, head of the situation center for Ukraine at the German Ministry of Defense.
The general added that his department daily studies information on where to buy shells. At the same time, there are enough finances: Germany is ready to allocate €7 billion to buy weapons for Ukraine.
We lost Avdiivka due to a shortage
President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky at the Munich Security Conference earlier said that the Ukrainian Armed Forces had to retreat from Avdiivka due to an "artificial shortage of weapons" and to save soldiers. He noted that the Ukrainian army could not continue to hold the city due to an acute shortage of artillery and ammunition.
"Our actions are limited only by the range and sufficiency of the means of destruction. But it doesn't just depend on us. And the situation in Avdiivka confirms this. Unfortunately, keeping Ukraine in an artificial shortage of weapons, in particular, in a shortage of artillery and long-range weapons, allows [Russian President Vladimir] Putin must adapt to the intensity of the fighting," the head of state said.
In addition, Zelensky mentioned that Ukraine does not have enough air defense systems to unblock the skies over the country. They are now waiting for supplies of the missing weapons.
The New York Times in early February also reported that the Ukrainian army is experiencing a shortage of weapons and ammunition. Currently, air defense systems are crucial for Ukraine, but their weapons reserves are steadily depleted. American officials believe that Kiev will run out of air defense equipment in March if the issue of resuming military assistance from the United States is not resolved. They also mentioned that by the beginning of summer, Ukraine may face difficulties in repelling attacks.
In the first week of February, a representative of the SBU told the American newspaper The Wall Street Journal that for one Ukrainian shell fired, there are ten Russian ones. According to him, the Ukrainian army is now "at an extremely disadvantage" due to a shortage of weapons, which is associated, among other things, with the unsuccessful counteroffensive of Ukraine. Now Kiev is only forced to defend itself.
The Wall Street Journal also found out that in the Avdiivka area, Ukrainian soldiers used ammunition only as a last resort. They are actively monitoring US domestic policy and are awaiting the allocation of funding.
Alyona Fomina