Germany‘s Scholz Administration Blocks Ministers’ Effort to Secure Additional €3BN for Ukraine‘s War Effort
BERLIN – In a contentious debate, the federal government continues to grapple over further deliveries of German military aid to Ukraine. According to Spiegel, both Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Defense Minister Boris Pistorius aimed to secure an additional budget of around €3 billion for weapons supplies to Ukraine before the Bundestag elections on February 23. However, Chancellor Olaf Scholz‘s office has been slowing down these plans.
Sources close to the matter revealed that discussions on the project have been ongoing behind the scenes for several weeks. Experts from Ukraine’s Defense Ministry have even prepared a list of weapons, including three additional Iris-T air defense batteries with ammunition, more Patriot missiles, ten self-propelled howitzers, and additional artillery ammunition.
The ministers intended to request the funds as extraordinary expenses from the Bundestag’s budget committee before the elections. This maneuver has been used previously by the federal government to provide additional aid to Ukraine. Baerbock and Pistorius view this as a crucial signal to Ukraine that German support will continue.
Spiegel reports that the Foreign Ministry and Defense Ministry have justified the need for additional aid by emphasizing that the urgent needs of Ukraine could not have been foreseen in previous planning. The sudden acceleration of Russian occupiers’ offensives and the loss of key defensive positions have exacerbated Ukraine’s military situation. Moreover, there are doubts about whether the United States will continue military aid to Ukraine after the potential return of Donald Trump to the White House.
However, the realization of this plan stumbled in early January when the Federal Chancellery informally signaled that it did not support the idea of additional aid to Kyiv. Sources in the Chancellery pointed to the unwillingness to commit the future government to fait accompli and the view that Ukraine already possesses sufficient means from Germany for this year, with a preliminary budget of around €4 billion for military aid in 2025. Additionally, Ukraine can access a $50 billion loan provided by G7 nations using frozen Russian assets.
Without the support of Scholz’s office, Baerbock and Pistorius’ plan is unlikely to materialize. Some social democratic sources suggest that Scholz’s reluctance may be due to concerns about alienating potential SPD voters during the election campaign.
Previously, on December 4, it was reported that Scholz had called for negotiations with Ukraine to explore ways to end the war. He made this statement during a government hour in the Bundestag, stressing that his primary goal is to develop a concept for concluding the war together with Ukraine. Scholz also emphasized the importance of considering Ukraine’s concerns and ensuring that decisions are not imposed on them.
