Scholz blocks military aid package for Ukraine
10 January 09:48
A serious dispute has arisen in the German government over a new large package of military aid to Ukraine. According to Spiegel, which cites its own sources, Chancellor Olaf Scholz refuses to give his approval to this initiative, despite the support of the Foreign and Defense Ministries.
Foreign Minister Annalena Burbock (Green Party) and Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) proposed to allocate an additional 3 billion euros for military aid to Ukraine. They wanted to agree on this package before the early elections scheduled for February 23.
The proposed aid package was tailored to Ukrainian requests and included
- three batteries of IRIS-T air defense systems with missiles;
- additional missiles for Patriot systems;
- ten self-propelled howitzers;
- artillery ammunition.
Читайте нас у Telegram: головні новини коротко
Burbock and Pistorius planned to use the mechanism of appealing to the Bundestag Budget Committee to approve the unplanned expenditures. They argued that this was due to the critical situation on the eastern front of Ukraine, where Russian troops were making progress, and the uncertainty about future American aid due to the possible return of Donald Trump to power.
However, since January, work on the package has been stalled due to the negative stance of Chancellor Scholz, who promised to support Ukraine in his New Year’s address. Officially, his office explains this by saying that there is no critical need for additional assistance, as the already approved budget for 2025 provides for 4 billion euros in military aid. In addition, Ukraine is expected to get access to a $50 billion G7 loan, which is formed from the proceeds of frozen Russian assets.
Unofficially, the SPD says that the real reason for Scholz’s refusal is related to the election campaign – he fears losing the support of undecided voters. Instead, the Green Party expects to gain political advantage by demonstrating its support for increased defense spending and assistance to Ukraine.
Germany handed over the latest military aid package to Ukraine in December last year. It included two Patriot missile launchers.
Читайте нас у Telegram: головні новини коротко
