Germany assembles €3 billion military aid package for Ukraine – MoD
Photo: German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (Getty Images)
Germany has put together a military aid package for Ukraine worth approximately €3 billion. Its rapid financing is currently under discussion, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced this during a joint press conference with Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov in Berlin.
As Pistorius noted, Germany has approved a total of €4 billion in payments from this year's budget.
"We are delivering them continuously and reliably. I want to emphasize once again: if we announce something and allocate funds for it, it will be fulfilled. Additionally, we have put together a package worth around €3 billion," he said.
The German minister explained that the rapid financing of this €3 billion package is currently the subject of preliminary negotiations between the CDU/CSU and SPD parties.
"And, of course, I strongly advocate for finding a swift solution to provide Ukraine with the necessary additional aid," Pistorius stressed.
According to him, Germany has already delivered three Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems and six IRIS-T SLM and SLS air defense systems to Ukraine.
This year, as previously promised, three more IRIS-T SLS systems and three IRIS-T SLM systems will be delivered, as already reported.
"If we manage to finance the €3 billion package, we also plan to provide additional air defense systems, including the necessary missiles for the systems we have already supplied. This is becoming increasingly important, especially in light of the supply freeze recently imposed by the Americans," the German defense minister added.
At the same time, he said Germany continues to strengthen the capabilities of Ukraine's ground forces. In particular, Germany has already equipped about two battalions in the field of artillery. There will also be an opportunity to increase this number if the €3 billion package is successfully financed.
"This will allow us to supply additional modern artillery systems, such as the Panzerhaubitze 2000 or the state-of-the-art fully automated RCH 155 howitzer. And, of course, this includes 155mm ammunition — last year alone, we supplied Ukraine with 34 million rounds," Pistorius noted.
Germany's aid to Ukraine
In January, media reports indicated that Germany was preparing new large military aid packages for Ukraine, expected to be delivered in the first half of 2025. These packages will include air defense systems, tanks, and howitzers.
At the same time, the German weekly Der Spiegel reported that Chancellor Olaf Scholz was allegedly against allocating an additional €3 billion in aid for Ukraine.
However, Friedrich Merz, the winner of Germany's parliamentary elections and the expected successor to Scholz, later stated that his country would indeed provide an additional €3 billion in aid to Ukraine.
