Despite pressure from Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz delayed an additional 3 billion euro ($3.1 billion) military aid package for Ukraine, saying the move was unnecessary, Der Spiegel reported.
The German government is in heated debate over the aid package, which Spiegel said includes modern air defense systems and artillery, which Baerbock and Pistorius consider essential for Ukraine to counter Russian attacks.
The two ministers also expressed concern about the possibility that the US would withdraw support for Kiev after President-elect Donald Trump, who has criticized Ukraine aid, takes office on January 20.
To push the plan forward, Foreign Minister Baerbock and Defense Minister Pistorius proposed using the unplanned supplementary spending mechanism from the German Parliamentary Budget Committee - an option that has been used for Ukraine aid in the past.
According to Spiegel, Chancellor Scholz opposed this plan for several reasons. He did not want to “force the future government to adhere to its commitments” regarding Ukraine.
In addition, the Chancellor's Office believes that Ukraine still has sufficient financial resources from Germany's previous aid commitments. Members of Chancellor Scholz's SPD party have revealed that he is avoiding providing more weapons during the election campaign, fearing that this could alienate voters.
The row over the aid package comes after Germany's ruling coalition collapsed in November last year over a series of disagreements, including over aid to Ukraine. Germany has already cut military aid to Ukraine from 7.5 billion euros in 2024 to 4 billion euros in 2025.
Chancellor Scholz also opposed the provision of long-range Taurus missiles, arguing that this could escalate the conflict and turn Germany into a direct belligerent.
Meanwhile, Russia continues to criticize the West for sending weapons to Ukraine, saying that this only prolongs the conflict without changing the final outcome.
