German foreign minister insists that Germany should provide Ukraine with more weapons than planned
Pravda Ukraine
Annalena Baerbock, German Foreign Minister and co-leader of the Greens, insists that Berlin should provide Ukraine with more military aid than currently planned in the budget.
Source: Spiegel, as reported by European Pravda
Details: The foreign minister made such comments while speaking to the media in Saudi Arabia on the sidelines of a meeting on the future of Syria.
When asked by Spiegel about Chancellor Scholz’s alleged blocking of an additional aid package for Ukraine, Baerbock said that if the aid isn’t provided, Ukraine “will be less able to defend itself and therefore less able to defend us”.
She added that providing Ukraine with assistance would be the best contribution to the security of Europe and Germany itself.
Previously:
- Earlier, Spiegel had unofficially learned that there was a dispute within the German government over an additional arms package for Ukraine worth about €3 billion. The package was put together by Baerbock and Defence Minister Boris Pistorius based on Ukraine’s urgent requests.
- However, Chancellor Olaf Scholz opposed it, saying that the amount of ear-marked aid was sufficient and that Kyiv could buy weapons with funds allocated through a joint G7 loan, and that it would be unfair to make such promises right before the formation of the new German government after the early elections in February. Some Social Democratic Party members share this opinion.
- According to the latest media reports, negotiations on additional weapons supplies were allegedly constructive until Christmas, and then the chancellor abruptly changed his mind. The dispute is attributed to the political considerations of the parties before the early parliamentary elections.
Background:
- In late December 2024, Germany delivered a significant aid package to Ukraine, including IRIS-T and Patriot air defence systems.
- In the first half of 2025, Germany plans to provide Ukraine with significant military aid packages, including Leopard tanks, Marder infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) and other equipment.
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