Germany’s Budget Committee approves additional €3 billion in military assistance for Ukraine – Reuters
Pravda Ukraine
The Budget Committee of the German Parliament has called on Finance Minister Jörg Kukies to approve an additional €3 billion in military assistance for Ukraine. The decision has been supported by opposition conservatives and the Free Democratic Party, while the ruling Social Democrats and the Greens abstained.
Source: Reuters with reference to its sources
Details: The request was approved by the parliamentary budget committee with support from the opposition parties, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Free Democratic Party. The ruling Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Greens refrained from voting.
Although the committee lacks the authority to make independent decisions on extra assistance for Ukraine without the agreement of the finance minister, such requests are typically granted. The budget committee’s CDU and FDP members claimed that there were enough funds in the budget to cover this request.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) also supports providing additional military assistance to Ukraine but insists that doing so requires suspending the so-called “debt brake”, which is strict limits on government borrowing in Germany.
Quote: “This dispute over spending led to the collapse of Germany’s government, as Scholz wanted to suspend the debt brake citing special circumstances, and former Finance Minister Christian Lindner refused, asking for cuts instead of new borrowing.”
Details: This funding comes in addition to the €8 billion earmarked for Ukraine in the 2024 budget. German assistance to Ukraine was reduced to €4 billion in 2025, as the country hopes that Ukraine will be able to cover most of its military needs through the US$50 billion in loans approved by the Group of Seven.
Background:
- 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.
- Later, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius refuted claims that Chancellor Olaf Scholz had been blocking an additional €3 billion military assistance package for Ukraine.
- Meanwhile, Scholz stated that he opposes increasing arms deliveries to Ukraine if it requires a reduced funding for other expenses on the state budget.
- Scholz also noted that there is no parliamentary majority to suspend Germany’s strict debt limit, known as the “debt brake”, to fund assistance to Ukraine or other policies.
- German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock criticised her government for its hesitancy in supporting Ukraine, emphasising that “Germany as a whole isn’t currently seen as a driving force for peace policy in Europe”.
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