Berlin (TDI): Germany has approved €3 billion ($3.25 billion) in additional military assistance for Ukraine, just hours after a sweeping defense and infrastructure spending bill cleared its final legislative hurdle.
The new funding is earmarked for artillery munitions, air defence systems, and other military hardware to bolster Kyiv’s defence against Russian aggression, according to media reports.
The announcement comes as part of a broader shift in Berlin’s defense policy, led by incoming Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
The conservative CDU/CSU alliance, in coalition with the Social Democratic Party and the Greens, has agreed to amend the country’s stringent “debt brake” rules to allow for robust defense spending.
“Germany is back,” Merz declared during a media briefing in Berlin on Thursday.
“Berlin is making its large contribution to the defense of freedom and peace in Europe.”
Merz introduced the increased defense budget earlier this month, seeking parliamentary approval before the new Bundestag convenes on March 25.
The budget vote is likely to take place on March 18, with the ruling coalition’s combined backing ensuring the required two-thirds majority.
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Outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz has signalled that the additional Ukraine assistance will be released upon parliamentary approval of the budget.
This latest support package brings Germany’s total military support for Kyiv this year to €7 billion ($7.2 billion), making the country one of Ukraine’s most significant backers in the continent.
The new package includes 3 IRIS-T air defense systems, 3 Skyranger units, 10 howitzers, twenty armoured vehicles, drones, and a large quantity of artillery and surface-to-air missiles.
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Meanwhile, Italy and Spain have expressed hesitation over supporting a broader European Union (EU) initiative to increase military assistance to Ukraine, spotlighting divisions within the bloc over defense contributions.
The recalibration of Berlin’s security posture comes amid a wider European reassessment of defense policy, driven in part by the uncertain trajectory of US foreign policy under President Donald Trump.
