According to CCTV news reports, German Bundeswehr Chief Inspector Zorn said that Germany is currently unable to provide Ukraine with "Fox" armored vehicles. He said: "We must carefully consider the inventory of the Bundeswehr and not at the expense of our own combat readiness or self-defense capabilities."
Previously, Ukraine had made a request to Germany to obtain "Fox" armored vehicles. Zorn said: "Currently we have 825 Fox armored vehicles, including radar vehicles, radio interference vehicles, transport vehicles, reconnaissance vehicles and medical vehicles, etc. We need these vehicles, and we cannot see the sale of these equipment. Possibility."
In fact, since May this year, many NATO countries, led by the United States, have successively reported that "stockpiles have bottomed out", but Germany's "stepping back from the brink" may not only be because of "rapid arsenals" empty". In the four months since the outbreak in Russia and Ukraine, at least 28 countries have provided various equipment to Ukraine. According to relevant data, the total amount of aid provided by various countries to Ukraine has exceeded US$75 billion, of which the United States alone has spent approximately US$44 billion, accounting for approximately 60% of the total Western aid to Ukraine.
Not only did these weapons "empty out" the arsenals of many countries, but after being transported to Ukraine, their specific whereabouts could not be traced. A reporter previously visited the Ukrainian black market and dark web and found that many of the weapons and equipment provided by the West to Ukraine were openly sold, and the prices could be described as "scary low." In addition to small arms and US-made body armor , there are also weapons such as "Javelin" anti-tank missile , "Stinger" anti-aircraft missiles, and "Switchblade" drones. Previously, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also stated that the Ukrainian government needs to reform and improve transparency to prevent corruption from damaging the normal operation of Ukraine.
In fact, the United States is not completely unaware of this. A relevant source revealed, "We had a brief accurate positioning of the weapons, but when they were involved in the war, we had almost no clues... This was a foreseeable It’s a risk, but the federal government is willing to take the risk.” A U.S. Department of Defense official said that they believe that in the long run, the risk that “the Ukrainian army does not obtain enough weapons” is greater than the risk that “some weapons will flow into the black market.” . In other words, even if it knows that a large amount of equipment to aid Ukraine will be bought and resold, it will not shake the United States' determination to continue to provide military assistance to Ukraine.
But it is obvious that Germany does not think so, but is more cautious in its attitude towards aid to Ukraine. This is not only because Germany has not yet escaped the troubles of the energy crisis and economic downturn, but also because the Scholz government has always been unwilling to overly stimulate Russia, that is, it does not want to make Russian-German relations too tense.
You must know that the "Fox" armored vehicle is not a cutting-edge equipment that has been born in recent years, and its overall technical level is not considered to be world-leading. It is a quite satisfactory multi-purpose wheeled armored vehicle. But even so, it is still an active front-line heavy equipment of the German Army. If such weapons are rashly supplied to Ukraine, it will definitely cause great dissatisfaction with the Putin government.
Judging from the fact that Germany must be cautious about its aid to Ukraine at this stage, after the Russian-Ukrainian conflict is over, there is still the possibility of restarting Russian-German relations, especially energy cooperation. Then once the German government releases its aid to Ukraine in heavy equipment, Moscow will I am afraid that the United States will permanently close the door to cooperation with Germany, and Germany will really lose more than the gain. Therefore, it is understandable that Berlin said "no" to Ukraine this time.
