German and British defense ministers convened in Berlin on Thursday for their inaugural ministerial council following the signing of a military cooperation agreement last year. German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius remarked, “Today's meeting shows that we not only agree on important projects, which would only be half the battle, but also that we implement them together and quite quickly.”
This meeting comes at a time of heightened diplomatic tension, as NATO foreign ministers are gathered in Turkey to discuss a U.S. initiative aimed at significantly increasing defense investments while the United States shifts its focus to security issues beyond Europe. Concurrently, Russian President Vladimir Putin has rejected a proposal from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a direct meeting in Turkey, although representatives from both nations are set to engage in their first direct discussions in several years.
UK Defence Minister John Healey noted the importance of Putin’s decision not to meet Zelenskyy, stating, “This is a day which exposes Putin for what he is. He says he wants peace but he rejected a full ceasefire. He says he wants to end fighting, but he continues to strike and kill Ukrainian civilians and cities.”
Amid these developments, Robert Brieger, Chairman of the European Union Military Committee, announced plans to double heavy caliber ammunition deliveries to Ukraine this year during a meeting of EU defense chiefs in Brussels. “The goal is to deliver a 2 million rounds of heavy caliber ammunition to your country during the current year. So it's about doubling the amount of the last year,” Brieger stated.
He explained that the EU is working to incentivize member states to produce more ammunition in order to meet this goal, utilizing contracts laid out by the European Defence Agency (EDA) and exploring new initiatives for collaboration with the Ukrainian defense industry. Brieger also addressed the maritime threat posed by Russia’s shadow fleet, emphasizing the need for the EU to bolster its naval resources to effectively secure its waters.
“When I look at the existing maritime operations, we have three in the northwest Indian Ocean and one in the Mediterranean, we are frankly lacking in resources,” Brieger remarked to reporters after the meeting. “So when such a mission would be launched, it would be crucial for us to ensure that we have enough ships, enough airplanes, and enough resources to carry out such a mission, should it be credible.”
