Bundestag calls for additional €3 billion for military aid to Ukraine

Germany’s budget committee has called Finance Minister Joerg Kukies to approve an additional €3 billion in military aid for Ukraine.

Reuters reported on this.

The request was approved in the budget committee of parliament with the votes of the opposition conservatives of the CDU and the Free Democrats (FDP), with the abstention of the governing Social Democrats (SPD) and the Greens.

The committee cannot decide on additional aid for Ukraine without approval from the finance minister. However, in practice, the ministry usually complies with the requests approved by the committee.

Budget committee members from the CDU and FDP said there are enough funds in the budget for the request.

The Ministry of Finance was initially unavailable for comment.

If approved, these €3 billion will be in addition to €8 billion provided for military assistance to Ukraine in Germany’s 2025 budget. However, the budget has not yet been approved by the Bundestag.

In January, Militarnyi reported that Germany will provide nine Boxer RCT30 infantry fighting vehicles as part of a new military aid package for Ukraine. The IFVs are equipped with a 30-mm cannon with the ability to use programmable ammunition and will be used as a mobile fire control center, probably to destroy drones.

Also in January, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius transferred the first of 54 RCH 155 wheeled self-propelled artillery systems to the Ukrainian Ambassador in Kassel.

The transfer of the artillery system took place on the territory of the KNDS Group company in Kassel, where they are manufactured. Currently, it will be used to train Ukrainian crews in Germany.

Initially, in 2022, Ukraine planned to purchase 18 units of RCH 155 artillery systems, but later, the number of ordered units increased to 36, and finally, it increased to 54 units.