German Finance Minister Denies Defense Minister Extra Budget Funds For Arms - Reports

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd December, 2022) German Finance Minister Christian Lindner turned down the request of Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht for an immediately allocation of additional budget funds for ammunition procurement, Politico reported.

According to the news outlet, Lambrecht sent a letter to Lindner urging him to "immediately provide significant amounts of budget funds" to buy new ammunition, so as to address the shortages caused by arms shipments to Ukraine. The finance minister, in turn, rejected the request in a letter obtained by Politico.

Politico reported, citing the letter, that Lindner criticized the defense minister for not mentioning the need for additional finances for arms procurement over the months the budget debate lasted, while also noting problems with planning and the bureaucracy of the arms ordering process.

The finance minister also called on his government colleague to do her "homework" before asking for additional financial assistance, according to Politico.

Over the past months, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has made multiple statements assuring that Berlin would supply Ukraine with weapons for as long as necessary.

At the same time, German cabinet spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said earlier in the week that the ammunition shortage can be seen in every unit of the country's armed forces, the Bundeswehr, with the Federal government considering spending $20.8 billion of public funds to replenish supplies.