Germany halts new spending on Ukrainian aid amid budget discussions

The German Federal Finance Ministry has responded to the information about the shortage of funds for supporting Ukraine by announcing that Berlin's bilateral aid to Ukraine will be partially redirected to international programmes.

In its comment, the German government emphasised that it supports Ukraine in financing and providing more military equipment compared to any other European partner, Caliber.Az reports citing the Russian media.

This commitment is reflected in the "Modernization" section of the federal budget for 2024, as well as in targeted allocations for the following years.

According to the document, by that time, the Federal Finance Ministry is ready to consider the possibility of providing additional short-term funding for Ukraine.

"The Federal Finance Ministry is ready to consider the possibility of providing additional short-term funding by that time. However, additional needs must be clearly defined and understood to comply with all budgetary regulations, allowing for a request to be made to the Bundestag for approval," the ministry stated.

According to the German media, the German government stood against new spending on aid for Ukraine during the budget discussions for the upcoming year. Following a directive from German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the Federal Cabinet will not approve additional expenditures for Ukraine through the German defence ministry’s budget.

Earlier, the Ukrainian ambassador hoped that Germany would find the funds to support Ukraine.