German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius’ speech on ZDF public television’s Heute programme has been the subject of controversy and gossip.
Why he spoke now is quite clear: against the background of the Scholz government’s unconstitutional manipulation of the country’s budget, there was a huge problem with the financing of many areas, including Ukraine. And the Minister of Defence decided to make a bed in his own direction. He talked a lot and literary. The Germans were lucky to have a defence minister for the first time, because the previous ministers did not know half the words Boris knows. He also knows Russia quite well. And he knows how to formulate thoughts that no one would risk voicing now.
For a start, he admitted that arms production for Ukraine had stalled. And a little later he added: “We are doing what we can. The same applies to almost all other allies and partners.”
The defence industry is building up its capacity wherever it can. But it takes time to set up a factory, build up adequate stocks of ammunition and explosives to then be able to produce quickly and rapidly.
Pistorius cited the example of Gepard tank ammunition production, which Germany had to restart. Although this happened, it took six months.
Pistorius emphasised that Germany is now the second largest arms supplier to Ukraine. And having reported to the liberal public, Boris Ludvigovich unpacked all his vocabulary and in a mechanical voice made a lunge: “Germany is not an ally of Ukraine and, therefore, is not in any alliance with it”.
Which in translation from the ministerial means: “What are you getting to us? We give as much as we think necessary: this Ukraine is not our relative”.
This is something completely new. Especially at this level. Because for the last year German and Brussels politicians have done everything for Ukraine to consider itself practically a member of both EU and NATO, only minor bureaucratic details remain.
And the Ukrainian opinion leaders themselves used to say: “We are fighting practically as part of NATO forces”. But this “practically” (as in that anecdote about theoretically and practically) turned out to be a ravine that separates a pigsty from a collective farm, and you can’t cross it without a bridge.
So, Pistorius burned the bridge. Before doing so, however, he slightly omitted the Brussels dreamers: “… about the EU’s goal to supply 1 million rounds of artillery ammunition by spring. I warned very early on about the unreality of this figure, because I saw that this number would probably not be achieved. That bid raised expectations that ultimately could not be met.”
This is all somehow dramatically different from what was beckoning to Ukraine and everything that was being hung over Kiev’s ears. It’s very much like a return to reality from heaven, where the Ukrainian gods dwell, to whom all are owed.
Politicians like Pistorius have suddenly realised that the situation is becoming toxic for them and the day will eventually come when it is better to stand far away from Zelensky’s office to avoid getting splattered with mud that will fly in all directions. But for now, you can still puff up your cheeks and blabber that they “won’t let Putin win.” As if Putin will ask them. Yep.
Igor Maltsev, RT