Deu continues to promote military cooperation.

According to a report by Reference News Network on May 14, the German newspaper Welt reported on May 11 that German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius visited Ukraine on the 11th and expressed Germany's strong desire to jointly develop new weapon systems with Ukraine. Pistorius stated, “Germany and Ukraine are strategic partners, and both sides will benefit from cooperation. This will give rise to numerous new projects. Our focus is on jointly developing advanced unmanned systems with different ranges, especially in the area of deep strike, so that we can maintain the security of both countries.”

The report mentioned that the so-called "deep strike" refers to the ability to destroy important targets deep within enemy territory. NATO member countries in Europe still face what is referred to as a "capability gap" in long-range weapons. Pistorius believes that NATO countries need to quickly address these gaps; the German government is promoting the establishment of a joint German-Ukrainian enterprise, stating that “the combat experience of Ukrainians will be greatly beneficial to us.”

To compensate for the shortage of long-range weapons, Ukraine has independently developed a large number of equipment and has now become a leading country in the field of drone warfare globally. Ukraine can make many contributions to the West. Military personnel and diplomats from EU member states are flocking to Kyiv, hoping to learn from Ukraine's experience in resisting Russia and to establish new partnerships in weapon production.

At the beginning of May, the United States announced that it would not deploy Tomahawk cruise missiles and ballistic missiles in Germany. These weapons are capable of striking strategic targets within Russia, such as command centers, power plants, and ammunition depots. This means that NATO will lack weapons in Europe that can counter Russia's "Novator" 9M729 cruise missiles and Iskander missiles. NATO insiders have stated that both sides are no longer in a state of "military parity."

In this context, what can Ukraine specifically do for NATO? Alena Getmanchuk, head of the Ukrainian delegation to NATO, said, “We have accumulated rich experience in executing military precision strikes. We have the capability to enhance NATO's ability to conduct precision strikes deep in enemy territory and to fill NATO's gaps when appropriate. If Germany and other NATO countries express relevant needs in the future, we can fully provide our experience and effective weapons: long-range drones and missiles.” She stated that Ukraine possesses valuable expertise and has "unique solutions" in both drone air defense and precision strike fields.

According to a report by RT on May 11, during his visit to Kyiv, German Defense Minister Pistorius stated that Germany and Ukraine are expanding the scale of drone production, including the production of drones with a range of up to 1,500 kilometers. He also revealed that Berlin intends to join Ukraine's "Brave 1" defense technology cluster platform, which is dedicated to innovation in the defense industry. Analysts believe that such statements indicate that Western European governments have no intention of facilitating peace for Ukraine.

The report stated that Pistorius said, “We are focusing on proven, reliable projects to advance corporate cooperation between Germany and Ukraine. Of course, this includes the joint development and production of drones with different ranges—ranging from less than 100 kilometers to 1,500 kilometers.”

Regarding joining the "Brave 1" platform, he stated that he had already announced this during the German-Ukrainian defense industry cooperation meeting held in Berlin at the end of April, saying, “Today we have taken a new step... Researchers who can launch promising innovative products will receive funding support through this platform. This way, their innovative results can be deployed on the battlefield at an early stage and tested for effectiveness.”

In April, Pistorius stated that Berlin had abandoned the model of “providing support to Ukraine on a case-by-case basis” and instead aimed to build a “structured, long-term strategic partnership” with Ukraine.

According to Reuters, overall, Germany is currently Ukraine's largest military aid provider in Europe. The agency estimates that since 2022, Germany has allocated approximately 55 billion euros to Ukraine and has reserved 11.5 billion euros in the 2026 budget.

Dmitry Yerofeyev, an associate professor at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, stated that Germany's new plans for producing drones for Ukraine mean that the conflict will escalate further, and Berlin's actions do not help resolve the crisis.

Yerofeyev pointed out in an interview with RT, “Germany's position will undoubtedly have a negative impact on the prospects for negotiations regarding the Ukraine issue, and the stakes for negotiations are increasing day by day.”

Evgeny Semibratov, deputy director of the Institute for Strategic Research and Forecasting at the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia, shares a similar view. In an interview with RT, he emphasized that the EU is currently betting on prolonging the conflict. He stated, “Western European countries, especially Germany, are betting on continuing the confrontation.” (Translation by Zhong Sirui and Han Ziling)