German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stated on Monday that he opposes increasing arms supplies to Ukraine if it requires cutting other areas of the budget.
He made this statement during a campaign event in the central German city of Bielefeld.
“I am against taking this from pensions, I am against cutting local budgets, I am against investing less in railways and roads,” Scholz said.
“Therefore, this must be financed additionally,” the Chancellor emphasized.
However, Scholz also noted that there is no majority in parliament to support suspending Germany’s strict debt limits, known as the “debt brake,” to fund aid to Ukraine and other policies.
Scholz’s three-party coalition government collapsed after months of intense negotiations failed to reach an agreement on the 2025 budget. Early elections are scheduled for February 23.
Last week, Spiegel magazine reported that Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Defense Minister Boris Pistorius had insisted on providing Ukraine with weapons worth approximately 3 billion euros ahead of the elections, but Scholz blocked the proposal.
