Arms shortage, not lack of financing hampering supplies to Ukraine - German government spox

The supply of western weapons to Ukraine depends not so much on the financial side of the case, but on the availability of appropriate systems.

This was stated by the spokesman for the German federal government, Steffen Hebestreit, who spoke at a briefing on Friday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"The question is not whether something will be delivered, but to what extent it is possible. There are always limitations, determined... not by whether we can finance it, but by the availability of weapons," Hebestreit said, while noting that Germany manages to maintain a constant flow of weapons to Ukraine.

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He assured that Germany is constantly reviewing what it can provide as military support to Ukraine and calls on its partners to follow suit. He recalled that the latest package of such assistance was delivered two weeks ago.

Berlin also emphasizes that it has made great efforts to provide Ukraine with a $50 billion loan, which will be covered by profits from frozen Russian assets. Ukraine will use the money to decide which weapons to purchase, the spokesman added.

Answering the question whether it is possible to expect a change in the chancellor's attitude on the issue of providing Ukraine with German long-range weapons against the background of the escalation caused by Russia now employing North Korean soldiers, Hebestreit answered with a categorical "No".

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“It won't have any impact; the chancellor firmly stands by his position, which he has repeatedly voiced," the government spokesman said.

He also ruled out the possibility of the German government supporting the idea of ​​sending soldiers from Western armies to Ukraine.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, the chief of the Ukrainian President's Office, Andriy Yermak, expressed the assumption that the participation of North Korean troops in the war against Ukraine will affect the position of partners regarding the provision of long-range weapons to Ukraine for deep strikes into Russia.