Germany’s military ‘turning point’ still a work in progress

By GEIR MOULSON
Associated Press

BERLIN (AP) — Nearly a year after Chancellor Olaf Scholz declared Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a “turning point” that would trigger a massive increase in Germany’s military spending, the turnaround for his country’s armed forces still has a long way to go. Germany has become one of the leading arms suppliers to Ukraine since the speech Scholz gave three days after Moscow sent troops into Ukraine. Lawmakers gave strong backing in June to the 100 billion-euro ($107 billion) military procurement fund that the chancellor announced. Yet much of the funding has yet to find its way into bolstering the German military, while criticism of Germany’s perceived hesitancy in delivering weapons to Ukraine has repeatedly overshadowed its generosity.