Germany’s support for Ukraine to be ‘massively expanded’ next year

Germany’s aid for Ukraine will be “massively expanded” next year, the country’s foreign minister said Monday, as Kyiv heads into its second winter since Russia launched its full-scale invasion.

Germany has become one of Ukraine’s top military suppliers since the war started in February 2022, sending materiel that includes tanks, armored personnel carriers, air-defense systems and Patriot missile systems.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said as she arrived Monday at a meeting with her European Union counterparts that, even as Europe grapples with the war between Israel and Hamas, it’s still important to “face the geopolitical challenge here.”

She said that would include helping Ukraine through the coming winter months, adding that “our support will be massively expanded for next year.”

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Over the weekend, the Bild am Sonntag newspaper reported that Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s governing coalition wants to double Germany’s military aid to Ukraine to $8.5 billion for 2024. It said the Parliament’s budget committee would need to sign off on the plan later this week.

Officials haven’t confirmed that. But asked about the report in an interview Sunday with ARD television, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius rejected the suggestion that any planned expansion of aid was due to fears the U.S. could reduce its support.

Pistorius said that, based on this year’s experiences, the idea was to avoid having to seek more funding if the money available gets used up quickly.

“Right now, as Ukraine has to continue its fight and at the same time part of public attention worldwide is directed more toward Israel, this is a strong signal to Ukraine that we won’t leave it in the lurch,” he said.