Germany approves $3.25 billion in new Ukraine military aid

BERLIN (AFP) — Germany on Friday approved 3 billion euros ($3.25 billion) in new military aid for Ukraine, just days before planned U.S.-brokered talks with Moscow and Kyiv on a limited truce.

The money is earmarked for defense equipment for the country fighting Russian forces, including munitions, drones, armored vehicles and air defense systems.

The parliament's budget committee gave the green light for the funds, which had been on hold for months amid discord in the coalition government of outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

But the final adoption on Friday of a major new spending package that also eased Germany's strict debt rules for defense outlays gave the government new room for maneuver.

Greens lawmaker Britta Hasselmann, whose party has strongly pushed for Ukraine aid, expressed relief the new billions were being released, "albeit late."

She called it "a strong signal to Ukraine, a signal that is absolutely necessary for peace and security in Europe."

The new money comes on top of 4 billion euros ($4.3 billion) in Ukraine military aid already planned in Germany's budget for 2025.

A further 8.3 billion euros ($9 billion) were earmarked for Kyiv for 2026 to 2029.

Government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit has said the latest package would include units of the German-made Iris-T air defense systems that had yet to be built and would be delivered over the next two years.

Support vow

Germany has been Ukraine's second-largest supplier of military aid, worth some 28 billion euros ($30.3 billion) so far, after the United States since Russia launched its full-scale invasion over three years ago.

But the situation has changed dramatically since U.S. President Donald Trump reached out to Russia's Vladimir Putin to end the war and froze military aid for Ukraine, while casting doubt on America's commitment to NATO.

Russia and Ukraine on Friday traded accusations of massive overnight attacks, three days before both sides will hold talks with U.S. officials in Saudi Arabia on how to halt the war.

Both countries have said they agree with a 30-day pause in strikes on energy targets, though they have continued their aerial attacks unabated.

Each has repeatedly accused the other of breaking the truce, which has not been formally agreed.

Germany's chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz, whose party won February elections, has pushed through a spending package worth hundreds of billions to bolster Germany's armed forces and infrastructure and to keep backing Ukraine.

Merz's conservatives are in coalition talks with the SPD of Scholz, who has also vowed that Germany would keep supporting Kyiv.

Ukraine "can rely on us and we will never leave it on its own," Scholz said at a European Council summit late Thursday.

"It will also need a strong army in times of peace, and it must not be put in danger by any peace agreement."

—

By Agence France-Presse