Pistorius denies reports of Scholz blocking additional EUR 3B for Ukraine

The politician spoke with the Tagesspiegel newspaper, Ukrinform reports.

"There is no blocking. We in the Ministry of Defense have prepared a new aid package for Ukraine," he said, clarifying that "internal coordination" in the federal government has not yet been fully completed as the issue "still has to be resolved politically." The minister expects that an "appropriate decision" will be made.

Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock warned in the same article against a significant reduction in Germany's financial support for arms supplies to Ukraine. She recalled that last year, the German government allocated more than EUR 7 billion for these purposes. If this year there will be only half or a little more than half, it will lead to Ukraine being less protected, the diplomat emphasized, referring to the fact that the draft budget for 2025 lays down only EUR 4 billion to this end.

Süddeutsche Zeitung, in turn, refers to an internal document circulating in the MoD, which states exactly what is to be purchased for an additional EUR 3 billion: three more Iris-T SLS/SLM air defense systems, guided missiles for these systems and for Patriots, three Skyranger systems, defense systems, 30,000 artillery rounds, 20 armored vehicles, 10 self-propelled howitzers, and drones.

It should be recalled that Pistorius himself announced the upcoming deliveries after the meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, mentioning the said weaponry. The German MoD spokesperson assured at a briefing that the pledged weapons have already been financed.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, Spiegel wrote that the German chancellor was blocking the aid package while the ministries of defense and foreign affairs demanded that "unscheduled expenses" be approved in the budget even before the elections on February 23.