A leading German politician has called on the country's arms industry to speed up production capacities, with an eye to the lack of equipment for the Bundeswehr.
Lars Klingbeil, co-leader of the governing centre-left Social Democrats, said the misconception that there is a large amount of equipment available must be done away with.
"All of that has to be produced," Klingbeil told public broadcaster ARD late on Sunday.
If the German arms industry, which has reduced its capacities more and more in recent years, cannot meet demand, the Bundeswehr will have to look abroad for armaments, he said.
"It is clear that we need to equip the Bundeswehr quickly and well, and we must work on this at full speed," Klingbeil said.
Klingbeil said that, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine started on February 24, it was necessary for the Bundeswehr to procure modern equipment "at great speed."
The German government has recently set a goal of acquiring €20 billion ($20.8 billion) worth of munitions, both to outfit its own troops and for shipping to Ukraine.
The problem is that much of Germany's defence industry shut down some production lines in recent years due to lack of orders. The talks will focus on how industry can get production expanded and accelerated.
In February, Scholz announced a massive boost in defence spending, which aimed to bring the nation's investments above the key 2% commitment of gross domestic product, as the Ukraine conflict forced Berlin to rethink its foreign policy.
