Germany’s budget lacks vital aid for Ukraine.
As Bild writes, in the draft budget for 2024 German Minister of Finance Christian Lindner has set aside only a small amount to help Ukraine. In this regard, the Federal Ministry of Defense has called for a review of the draft budget. It is noted that only €120M is provided for Ukraine, although the Ministry of Defense expects that Kyiv will need €5.22B in 2024.
The Bundeswehr should allocate €880M for air defense, €675M for armored combat vehicles, €390M for training, €935M for protective equipment, €2.34B for repairs, spare parts, and logistics. The budget also does not include €525M to replace equipment that has already been transferred. The budget should be finally approved in mid-November, while negotiations will continue.
“We must keep our word. It should not be the case that we run out of funds when it comes to helping Ukraine,” said a member of the defense budget committee, Andreas Schwartz.