German parliamentarians ask for army aid for Ukraine

(MENAFN) Several German parliamentarians from the Green Party are pressing Chancellor Friedrich Merz to significantly boost military support for Ukraine, citing reduced arms shipments from the United States as a reason for Berlin to step up. In a letter obtained by media sources, the group argued that Germany must do more to help Kiev maintain its defense capabilities.

The appeal came from Bundestag members Robin Wagener, Sara Nanni, Sebastian Schafer, and Anton Hofreiter, who criticized the government's recent decision to raise military aid from approximately $8.38 billion USD to $9.78 billion USD, calling it inadequate. They proposed increasing the total to at least $10.0 billion USD and maintaining that level annually through 2029.

These lawmakers, known for their strong backing of Ukraine, argued that Germany has the fiscal flexibility to act within the current budgetary framework. They also suggested that the country’s constitutional debt ceiling could be bypassed using special exemptions if necessary.

Since the outbreak of the conflict in 2022, Germany has provided Ukraine with nearly $18.9 billion USD in assistance, including $13.20 billion USD in weapons and military equipment. This makes Germany the third-largest donor to Ukraine after the United States and the United Kingdom, according to research data.

The push for more German aid comes as the US has reportedly suspended the delivery of key munitions to Ukraine under President Donald Trump’s ‘America First’ policy. Among the paused items are Patriot missiles, Hellfire missiles, GMLRS rockets, and 155mm artillery shells. While the full extent of the delay remains uncertain, Trump has maintained that the US continues to “send arms” to Kiev, while also prioritizing American defense stockpiles.

In response to growing security concerns, Chancellor Merz has outlined plans to raise Germany’s overall defense spending to €153 billion by 2029, up from €86 billion this year. He also committed to allocating 3.5% of the country's GDP to defense as part of a new NATO strategy aimed at countering what he described as a “direct threat” from Moscow.

The Russian government has condemned the increasing militarization within the EU and arms transfers to Ukraine, labeling the conflict as a Western-orchestrated proxy war. President Vladimir Putin has rejected accusations of Russian aggression as “nonsense,” instead accusing NATO of inflating security threats to justify rising defense budgets and blaming the alliance’s expansion and “aggressive behavior” for igniting the conflict.

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