Scholz blocks new German assistance package to Ukraine worth billions of euros – Spiegel
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has been withholding approval for a new large military assistance package for Ukraine that is being proposed by Ukraine’s foreign and defence ministries.
According to Spiegel, the German government, which is approaching early elections, has been debating additional military assistance for Ukraine for weeks.
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock from The Greens party and Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, a fellow Social Democrat like Scholz, reportedly proposed allocating an additional €3 billion to provide Ukraine with critically needed weapons before the early elections on 23 February.
The package was assembled based on Ukraine's requests. It reportedly included 3 additional IRIS-T batteries with interceptor missiles, additional interceptors for Patriot systems, 10 self-propelled howitzers and artillery ammunition. However, it remains unclear whether the German side was prepared to provide all these items.
Baerbock and Pistorius believed this package would send a strong message to Ukraine that German support would not decrease.
They intended to request that the German Parliament Budget Committee approve an extraordinary expenditure (such a mechanism has been used in the past), arguing that urgent needs could not have been foreseen earlier. They pointed, among other things, to the challenging situation on Ukraine’s eastern front, Russian advances and uncertainties surrounding future US support, given Donald Trump’s return to the White House.
Since January, however, progress on the package has stalled due to signals from Scholz’s office indicating opposition to the additional spending.
According to Spiegel, Scholz’s office argues there is no critical necessity for the package, it believes the assistance already planned will suffice in the short term and does not want to impose decisions on the incoming government, which will be formed after the spring elections.
The 2025 budget includes €4 billion for military assistance. It is also anticipated Ukraine will use the US$50 billion G7 loan financed by frozen Russian assets.
Without Scholz’s approval, the package cannot proceed. Sources within the Social Democratic Party of Germany suggest Scholz’s real motives are electoral, as he fears losing support among undecided voters. In contrast, The Greens hope to gain political points by advocating increased defence spending and active support for Ukraine.
Both ministries declined to officially comment on this information.
At the end of December 2024, Germany delivered a significant assistance package to Ukraine, including IRIS-T systems and Patriot interceptors.