German Defense Minister denies media reports about Scholz blocking aid package to Ukraine
Boris Pistorius, Minister of Defense of Germany (photo: Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius assured that there is no blocking of a new aid package for Ukraine by Chancellor Olaf Scholz. He denied recent media reports suggesting opposition from the German government's office regarding arms deliveries, reports DW.
The head of Germany's defense ministry denied press reports claiming that Chancellor Scholz is blocking an additional €3 billion military aid package for Ukraine.
"There is no blocking," Pistorius stated in an interview with the German newspaper Tagesspiegel, which will be published on January 13.
However, the German defense minister noted that internal coordination of the defense package within the German government has not yet been completed.
According to Pistorius, the German Ministry of Defense has prepared the new aid package, and now a political decision must be made regarding its delivery to Ukraine.
Media reported about Scholz blocking the defense package for Ukraine
Recently, the German weekly Der Spiegel reported that Chancellor Olaf Scholz is allegedly opposed to providing Ukraine with an additional €3 billion in aid.
Der Spiegel indicated that the defense and foreign ministers of Germany, Boris Pistorius, and Annalena Baerbock, respectively, support providing Kyiv with such a package before the Bundestag elections.
Following the release of this report, the German government did not confirm the information on January 10 but also did not deny it.
Germany's aid to Ukraine
On January 12, Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock warned against a significant reduction in financial support from Berlin for arms supplies to Ukraine as part of aid due to Russia's large-scale military aggression.
According to Baerbock, the German government allocated nearly €7 billion in support to Ukraine last year.
The previous German state budget for 2025 includes approximately €4 billion in military aid for Ukraine.
It was also reported that on January 7, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius stated that Germany would soon provide Ukraine with additional Iris-T missiles.
On January 10, the media reported that Germany is preparing new large military aid packages for Ukraine, which could be delivered in the first half of 2025. These packages are expected to include air defense systems, tanks, and howitzers.
