Berlin’s Finance Ministry has prepared a plan to allocate an additional 2.5 billion euros, along with 500 million euros in reimbursement from European funds, for “new Ukraine aid”. According to a draft order, the ministry is seeking an “out-of-budget authorization” of approximately 8.3 billion euros.
The former government intends to continue securing the delivery of weapons and materials to Kiev, financed by German taxpayers. The plan is to allocate more billions, with the possibility of further aid in the future.
The draft order aims to secure a “need-based equipping” of the Ukrainian army, primarily in the areas of air defense, protection and special equipment, as well as drones, armored vehicles and tank howitzers.
The ministry’s staff analyzed the situation on the battlefield, citing the need for rapid aid due to the Russian army’s advances, the fall of strategic Ukrainian defense positions and the ongoing Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
The article also recalls the controversy in the governing coalition last year, when the Greens and FDP pushed for the immediate release of the 3 billion euros, while the SPD insisted on using a special budget procedure to bypass the debt brake.
The article concludes that the government’s decision to temporarily suspend the debt brake for investments in security and defense has cleared the way for the new Ukraine aid, pending the approval of the budget committee and the final release of the funds.