Germany plans to increase spending on military aid to Ukraine – media

The German government plans to increase spending on military aid to Ukraine by several times in the coming years.

Spiegel reported this.

The publication obtained a confidential letter from the German Ministry of Finance to the Bundestag’s Budget Committee.

The letter emphasizes that the federal government wants to dramatically expand military aid to Ukraine in the coming years. For this, it would need the approval of the parliament’s budget committee. It is reported that Berlin wants to increase the assistance from 3 to over €15 billion.

According to Spiegel, the members of the budget committee will likely support this initiative, as, at the moment, the cross-party majority in the German parliament is in favor of Ukraine.

“Due to high material losses, the Armed Forces of Ukraine need new material supplies. In order to sustainably equip the Armed Forces of Ukraine in accordance with the needs, numerous procurement contracts must be concluded immediately, which also establish payment obligations for future financial years,” the Ministry of Finance of the Federal Republic of Germany stated.

In particular, Germany plans to purchase anti-aircraft defense equipment, armored tracked vehicles, and artillery for Ukraine, and supply ammunition for weapons systems transferred to Germany, as well as provide maintenance and assistance.

The appeal to the parliamentarians emphasizes that additional costs are “objectively inevitable” because without the constant support, there may be a “serious risk” of the defeat of the Ukrainian Defense Forces in the face of Russian aggression with “unpredictable consequences for the European peace order.”

According to Spiegel, in the current fiscal year, Berlin allocated € 2.2 billion to “modernize partner countries in the areas of security, defense, and stabilization.” This money goes to fund a large part of the weapons supply to Ukraine and to replace the systems transferred from the warehouses of the German army.

This year, this amount should be increased by another €3.2 billion. In addition, according to the media, Germany might allocate an additional €8.8 billion for “commitment permits” in the coming years. Thus, the Ministry of Defense will have the opportunity to conclude contracts for the specified amounts. So far, only one billion euros has been earmarked for this.

At a closed session on Tuesday, Members of the Parliament should learn what the additional funds for military support of Ukraine will be used for. The media also notes that the large-scale increase in support surprised many German MPs in a good way.

As previously reported, Leopard 2A6 tanks and Marder infantry fighting vehicles committed by Germany have already arrived in Ukraine.