According to Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, German arms manufacturers have already expressed their readiness for ammunition deliveries, but the German government has delayed acknowledging the deliveries.
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba urges the German government to speed up the delivery of ammunition to Ukraine. Kuleba also calls for speeding up the training of Ukrainian pilots to use Western fighters.
Kuleba commented on the matter in an interview with the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag.
According to the foreign minister, the shortage of ammunition is the biggest problem in Ukraine
in an effort to repel the Russian occupation.
Kuleba says in an interview that the German arms manufacturers had told him at the Munich security meeting in February that the manufacturers are ready for deliveries. However, the arms manufacturers were still waiting for signatures on the contracts from the German government, says Kuleba.
– So the government is a problem in this matter, says Kuleba.
“Training pilots would be a sign of political commitment”
Kuleba also makes it clear in the interview that he does not expect the allies to deliver the fighter jets requested by Ukraine in the near future.
Nevertheless, the pilots of the Ukrainian armed forces could be trained in advance so that everything would be ready when the fighter deliveries begin, says Kuleba.
According to Kuleba, if Germany were to train Ukrainian pilots, it would be a very clear message of Germany’s political commitment.
In the interview, Foreign Minister Kuleba also commented on the situation in Bahmut, where the Ukrainian troops have tried to hold their ground as Russia ramps up its attacks.
– If we retreated from Bahmut, what good would it do? After the capture of Bahmut, Russia would continue the attack on Chasiv Yar. Every city on the other side of Bahmut would suffer the same fate, says Kuleba.
When asked, Kuleba refrains from speculating on how long the Ukrainian forces will be able to defend the city of Bahmut.
Source: Reuters