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"We
all know that the existing gaps cannot be completely closed by
2030... It will take years. Everyone is aware of that,"
Pistorius said in an interview with Welt am Sonntag newspaper
published on Saturday.
Already worn down by decades of underinvestment since the end of
the Cold War, the Bundeswehr is in even worse shape than a year
ago given weapons and munitions donated to Ukraine have mostly
not yet been replaced, say experts.
Pistorius rejected further arms deliveries to Ukraine from the
Bundeswehr stocks beyond the announced commitments.
"To put it bluntly, like other nations, we have a limited
inventory. As federal defence minister, I cannot give everything
away," he said.
The minister, who was appointed earlier this year, said
increasing the defence budget to reach the NATO spending target
of 2% of national output, from currently around 1.5%, was his
highest priority.
"If that is then set in motion at the end of the (legislative)
period, then I would be satisfied," he added.
Germany is also planning a naval mission in the Indo-Pacific
region next year and is intensifying its partnerships with key
countries in the region, such as Japan, Australia, India,
Indonesia, South Korea and Singapore, he said, saying Europe's
freedom of movement in seas there was "too challenged".
(Reporting by Riham Alkousaa; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
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