Germany plans to nearly halve its military aid to Ukraine next year, reducing it from about €8 billion to around €4 billion, according to a draft budget approved by the government.
Finance Minister Christian Lindner assured that Ukraine’s funding is “secure for the foreseeable future” thanks to a G7 plan to raise $50 billion from interest on frozen Russian assets.
Germany is Ukraine’s second-largest military donor after the US, and in 2024, it had planned nearly €7.5 billion in aid.
The proposed cut comes amid concerns that US funding might decrease or stop if Donald Trump wins the presidential election in November.
Despite the planned reduction in military aid, Germany will increase its overall defense budget for 2025 by €1.3 billion to €53.25 billion, though this is still less than the €6 billion Defense Minister Boris Pistorius had wanted.
Germany aims to meet NATO’s requirement of spending 2% of its GDP on defense. This budget increase still needs to be approved by lawmakers.
In other news, Russia and Ukraine recently exchanged prisoners of war, with each side receiving 95 military personnel. The United Arab Emirates facilitated this swap.
A Ukrainian military source confirmed that troops had withdrawn from the village of Krynky, a strategic location on the Russian-occupied eastern bank of the Dnipro river in southern Kherson. However, operations in the area are continuing.
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will host a summit with around 45 European leaders to discuss strengthening London’s relationship with Europe and reaffirm support for Ukraine.
This information is based on a BBC report.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0kr91zqp0lo