German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is withholding approval for a new significant military aid package for Ukraine, proposed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defense. This was reported by Spiegel, citing its sources.
According to the publication, the German government, where early elections are scheduled soon, has been debating additional military aid for Ukraine for weeks.
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock of the Green Party and Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, a member of Scholz’s Social Democratic Party (SPD), reportedly proposed allocating an additional €3 billion to supply Ukraine with urgently needed weapons before the early elections on February 23.
The contents of the package were compiled based on requests from the Ukrainian side. It included (though it’s unclear whether the German government was ready to provide all these items) three more IRIS-T missile defense batteries and interceptor missiles, additional interceptors for the Patriot system, ten self-propelled howitzers, and artillery ammunition.
Baerbock and Pistorius argued that this aid would send a strong signal to Ukraine that German support would not waver.
Their plan was for the government to appeal to the Bundestag’s budget committee for approval of unplanned expenditures—a mechanism used in the past—justifying it by pointing out that Ukraine’s urgent needs could not have been foreseen during earlier planning stages. They also referenced the dire situation on Ukraine’s eastern front, where Russian forces are advancing, and uncertainties surrounding continued U.S. assistance, especially with Donald Trump potentially returning to the White House.
However, since January, work on preparing the aid package has stalled due to signals from Scholz’s office opposing the additional spending.
According to Spiegel, Scholz’s office explained its stance by saying there is no critical need for this package. They believe that the aid already planned will suffice for the near future and argue that they don’t want to impose decisions on the incoming government that will be formed in the spring.
The preliminary budget for 2025 includes €4 billion for military aid and anticipates that Ukraine will be able to utilize a $50 billion G7 loan funded by revenues from frozen Russian assets.
Without Scholz’s approval, the new aid package cannot be passed.
Within the SPD, there is speculation that the real reasons behind Scholz’s reluctance are electoral. He fears this move might alienate some voters who are still undecided about supporting the SPD. Meanwhile, the Greens are counting on gaining political points by advocating increased defense spending and active support for Ukraine.
