Bundestag to boost Ukraine aid by over € 3 bln – Baerbock
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said that the German Bundestag is expected to adopt an essential decision on Tuesday that will strengthen European security and increase aid to Ukraine by at least 3 billion euros.
According to Ukrinform, Baerbock made this statement before the start of the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels on March 17.
"Tomorrow, in a historic decision, we will integrate our security into the Basic Law through an amendment to the Constitution that comprehensively covers security, strengthens it, provides greater support to Ukraine, and allocates significant additional funds for infrastructure. This is a powerful signal that Germany is serious about its own security, the security of Ukraine, and the security of Europe…
Our contribution to European peace, which we will announce in a historic decision tomorrow in the German Bundestag, is unprecedented on this scale," Baerbock said.
She confirmed that this decision will finally pave the way for Ukraine to receive another 3 billion euros in 2025.
"Thus, Germany will provide Ukraine with 7 billion euros, as it did last year," the minister explained.
"A strong and sovereign Ukraine is our goal. This requires a position of strength, especially for negotiations with Putin's Russia.
For this, it is essential not only to strengthen our defense capabilities but also to make a quick and ambitious decision at the level of the EU heads of state and government regarding our military support," Baerbock said.
She noted that investments in the countries' own security, investments in the security of Europe, and investments in security and peace in Ukraine are also investments in transatlantic security and relations.
She informed that during the G7 foreign ministers' meeting in Canada, from which Baerbock traveled to Brussels, all participants reaffirmed their commitment to achieving peace in Ukraine and broader peace in Europe.
"And now the ball is in Putin's court… The door to achieving peace has opened, but Putin has not yet made it clear whether he wants to do it at all…
That is why it is so important that we as Europeans act together with the Americans," the German Foreign Minister emphasized, noting that Ukraine's territorial integrity is a common goal and the basis of all negotiations.
Baerbock added that at the meeting in Canada, the European partners were in agreement on this position. The politician also said peace cannot be achieved through the heads of Europeans, on whose continent a war is raging.
"We have made it clear that a ceasefire is different from a peace treaty," she said.
She emphasized that now, including after the G7 ministerial meeting in Canada, there is a sense that a new stage of security is coming, and Europeans must take security more firmly into their own hands.
The Foreign Minister also emphasized the importance of revising the Maastricht criteria and creating greater flexibility for common European security and defense.
It should be noted that Friedrich Merz, head of the Christian Democratic Union and candidate for the position of Chancellor of Germany, expressed hope that 3 billion euros in aid to Ukraine will be agreed upon in the coming days.
For reference:
Since the start of the full-scale war, Germany has become the largest supplier of military assistance to Ukraine among European countries. In particular, Berlin has transferred:
- Patriot air defense systems,
- Leopard 2 tanks,
- PzH 2000 self-propelled guns and other weapons to support the Ukrainian military.
There is also an agreement with Germany to strengthen air defense immediately. The deal provides arrangements under which the signatory countries will contribute to joint projects or finance their own projects to enhance the air defense capabilities of Ukraine's armed forces.
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