Pistorius speaks on NATO membership for Ukraine, servicing arms
Emmanuel Thomas with DPA I Friday, April 21, 2023
BERLIN – Western defence officials meeting in Germany to discuss support for Ukraine are to focus on financing the maintenance of arms already delivered and “not at all” on Ukraine’s application to join NATO, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius says.
“It costs a lot of money and has to be financed,” Pistorius said in reference to the maintenance hub that will service German-made weapons, such as the Marder infantry fighting vehicles, the Leopard main battle tanks and the Panzerhaubitze 2000 artillery pieces.
“These are really cost-intensive measures, as this armour has to be maintained quite differently when used under real combat conditions,” Pistorius told national public broadcaster ZDF. Clear decisions had to be taken on who would pay for this, he said.
Pistorius added that the meeting at the US air base at Ramstein would also discuss strengthening Ukraine’s air defences and the delivery of combat jets.
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Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has kept up his appeals to allies for more weapons to be sent at a quicker pace. Kiev is largely dependent on Western support for military equipment.
He is also pressing for Ukraine to be swiftly admitted to NATO. The issue, which came to the fore again on Thursday with NATO Secretary General Jens Stolltenberg’s visit to Kiev, has divided alliance members.
Zelensky is pushing for an “accelerated” accession. The United States and other NATO members, like Germany, have expressed reservations, given that one of the prerequisites for joining is not being involved in international conflicts.
Austin will hold a press conference at 4:30 pm alongside Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley.
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