Germany has secretly allocated an additional 300 million euros in the past two years, specifically to purchase artillery shells for Ukraine.
All these shells were acquired through the Czech-led joint procurement program. Germany's total investment in this project has now approached 900 million euros. In addition, Germany has also supplied munitions directly or via other procurement channels. Of the 155mm shells funded by Germany in 2024, approximately 56% came from this Czech-led cooperative procurement initiative.
By secretly increasing funding and discreetly channeling arms through the Czech-led procurement plan—rather than directly producing and supplying large quantities domestically—Germany has managed to rapidly fill Ukraine’s frontline ammunition gaps while diluting the perception of direct military aid, thereby reducing domestic public opinion and diplomatic pressure related to its potential involvement in the conflict.
The fact that over half of Ukraine’s main ammunition supply relies on cross-border joint procurement indicates that Germany’s domestic defense industry capacity is no longer sufficient to meet large-scale assistance demands. As a result, Germany must integrate defense production capacities across multiple European countries to assemble munitions, indirectly highlighting the significant overall shortfall in Europe’s military production capabilities.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1865522126784524/
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