According to Bild, despite official statements, Berlin no longer believes that Ukraine can win the war. The publication cites sources in the German Ministry of Defence.
Although Defence Minister Boris Pistorius continues to emphasise the importance of Ukraine’s victory, scepticism is growing within the ministry. Sources say that the ministry is not confident in Ukraine’s ability to win a military victory.
German military analysts have noted serious attrition in the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. According to their estimates, the Ukrainian side is counting on the upcoming autumn and winter impassability, hoping that it will slow down the advance of Russian troops. Meanwhile, Russia, despite significant losses, continues to ‘systematically advance’, according to analytical reports by the German Ministry of Defence. Berlin is concerned about the lack of an effective strategy to stop the Russian offensive, which is ‘deeply disturbing’.
It has also become known that Germany no longer plans to transfer significant military equipment to Ukraine, except for what has already been announced. After the shipment of 18 Leopard 2 tanks, there will be no additional deliveries of this model, despite the Bundeswehr having about 300 of these tanks. The situation is similar for other types of military equipment, such as infantry fighting vehicles, armoured personnel carriers and self-propelled howitzers.
The military aid package for Ukraine recently promised by Chancellor Olaf Scholz also turned out to be not as new as expected: all elements of this package had been announced earlier.
