Der Spiegel: Germany conducting negotiations to procure ammunition from India
by
Elsa Court and
The Kyiv Independent news deskFebruary 26, 2024 12:11 PM2 min read
Ukrainian artillerymen from the 24th brigade load an ammunition inside of a 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer at a position along the front line in the vicinity of Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast on Dec. 10, 2022. (Ihor Tkachov/AFP via Getty Images)
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Germany is conducting "discreet negotiations" to procure artillery ammunition from India, which is estimated to have "several hundred thousand rounds" stored in stockpiles, Der Spiegel reported on Feb. 25.
The European Union's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said on Feb. 19 that he has urged member states to procure ammunition for Ukraine
outside the bloc if this source of supply is "better, cheaper, and quicker."
Kyiv is facing critical ammunition
shortages, as $61 billion in funding from the U.S. remains
stuck in Congress, causing defense aid deliveries to run dry. Reports suggest Ukraine could face a
catastrophic shortage of supplies like shells and air defenses within weeks.
Der Spiegel
reported that Berlin is looking to Arab states, as well as countries in the Balkans and Africa, for new supplies of ammunition for Ukraine.
The German military is currently looking to stockpiles in countries outside the EU, with a group of military officers, diplomats, and civil servants meeting in Berlin every two weeks to assess which "which countries can be approached that may still have ammunition stocks."
Negotiations are being conducted with New Delhi in a "discreet" way given its "
friendly relations with Moscow," Der Spiegel said.
Kuleba calls for Europe to suspend ammunition sales to third countries
One diplomatic solution is that Berlin could obtain the ammunition "through intermediaries," according to Der Spiegel.
India's Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar
visited Moscow in December and said that Indo-Russia ties are "very strong."
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Russia and India had made progress in talks on the joint production of military equipment.
A Pew poll
conducted in August 2023 found that 57% of Indians had a positive view of Russia, and another 59% had "confidence in Russian (dictator) Vladimir Putin."
When asked about economic ties, 71% of Indians said that "maintaining access to Russia's oil and gas reserves is more important than being tough with Russia on Ukraine."
Trade between Russia and India has grown to record levels, RIA Novosti claimed in October 2023.
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