Der Spiegel: Germany wants India to turn its back on Russia and help Ukraine

Germany is conducting secret negotiations with India to purchase Indian ammo for its subsequent transfer to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It goes about hundreds of thousands of Indian shells.

Similar negotiations on military assistance to Kyiv are also possible with Arab, Balkan and African countries that have large stocks of ammunition.

According to Der Spiegel, the Indian authorities do not want to openly help Ukraine because India has a friendly relationship with Russia.

"The government in New Delhi is unwilling to sell its grenades as India still maintains friendly relations with Moscow. As a result, confidential negotiations are now underway to obtain ammunition through intermediaries,” the publication said.

The Situation Center for Ukraine at the German Ministry of Defense constantly looks for opportunities to acquire shells for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. According to the head of the department Christian Freuding, the German government will allocate seven billion euros for the purchase of weapons for Ukraine in 2024. The only problem is the limited supply of weapons on the market.

India, being the largest importer of Russian weapons, may abandon supplies from Russia and turn to the United States instead. Indian officials believe that in this case Moscow may move towards Beijing.

Germany is looking for ammunition for the Ukrainian Armed Forces around the world. The German defense department constantly has to look for ways to obtain ammo for Ukraine, Der Spiegel says. The more time passes, the more difficult it is for Kyiv's allies, the publication points out. Western intelligence agencies forecast that Ukraine's own supplies would run out "no later than June" or even earlier.