Berlin will allocate €11 billion for military aid to Ukraine

This year, Germany plans to provide Ukraine with additional military aid worth three billion euros, and in 2026-2029 - more than eight billion, writes Reuters, citing a document from the German Finance Ministry, writes dw.com.

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The German government intends to allocate more than 11 billion euros in additional military aid to Ukraine over five years. The German Finance Ministry informed the Bundestag's budget committee of these intentions, Reuters reported on Wednesday, March 19, citing a letter from State Secretary in the Finance Ministry Sarah Ryglewski.

The document states that German Finance Minister Jörg Kukies intends to approve extraordinary expenditures for the current year in the amount of 2,547 billion euros. Together with revenues from other financial sources, the total amount of funds available for additional military assistance to Ukraine this year will be three billion euros, it further states.

Over eight billion euros in additional spending to assist the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 2026-2029

In addition, according to Reuters, Kukis intends to approve unplanned expenditures for military assistance to Ukraine for 2026-2029 in the amount of 8,252 billion euros, which means the possibility of concluding contracts for the supply of weapons for this period. As Ryglevsky notes in the document, a large number of new contracts for the supply of military assistance to Ukraine must be concluded in the first half of this year.

"Due to the constant deterioration of the military situation in Ukraine, there is a serious threat that Ukraine will significantly lose in its defense struggle without significantly increased material support," the letter, quoted by the agency, says. The letter states that the conditions for approving these expenditures have been met, so the ministry asks the budget committee to approve this plan. As Reuters notes, a vote on this issue may take place on March 21, a positive decision is expected.

On the eve of the meeting, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced the continuation of military assistance to Ukraine, which is defending itself from a full-scale Russian invasion. “We are both of the same opinion that Ukraine can rely on us, Ukraine can rely on Europe, we will not let it down,” he said after talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in Berlin.

How much military aid did Germany provide to Ukraine?

According to data on a special government website dedicated to military assistance to Ukraine, since the beginning of full-scale Russian aggression on February 24, 2022, Germany has already transferred weapons, ammunition, and equipment from Bundeswehr warehouses to Ukraine for a total amount of about 5,2 billion euros — the estimate is formed taking into account the replacement cost of what was provided to Ukraine.

In 2022 alone, 1,6 billion euros were allocated for military support for Ukraine, and about five billion euros more were allocated for these purposes in 2023. In addition, Berlin allocated another 2,9 billion euros during the first two years of a full-scale war to fulfill its obligations to supply weapons and equipment to Ukraine, which will be implemented only in 2025-2028. There are no figures on the website for 2024.

In addition, more than 10 Ukrainian soldiers have been trained in Germany. The cost of these training and education programs has cost the German budget about 282 million euros to date. In addition, Germany has allocated and is allocating money for the treatment and rehabilitation of wounded Ukrainian soldiers, but the website does not specify the exact amount.

Overall, Germany has been the second largest military aid provider to Ukraine after the United States, but some of Ukraine's allies report on military aid provided to Ukraine only after the fact and without detailed analysis.

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