(MENAFN) Germany will escalate its military assistance to Ukraine beyond €11.5 billion ($13.4 billion) next year, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius declared Friday.

Addressing reporters at a joint press briefing in Berlin alongside defense chiefs from the UK, France, Italy, and Poland, Pistorius emphasized their unified resolve to expand military backing for Ukraine as Russia intensifies its offensive operations.

"For Germany, I can say, we are prepared to continue taking the lead in supporting Ukraine. Yesterday, the parliament followed my proposal to expand Ukraine aid next year. In 2026, this will amount to more than 11.5 billion euros," Pistorius said.

The German defense chief issued a forceful denunciation of Russia's drone and missile bombardments targeting Ukraine's energy grid, branding them international law violations designed to shatter Ukrainian resolve ahead of winter.

"Russia is deliberately, massively, and with increasing precision attacking civilian energy infrastructure. It is very clear that Russian President Putin aims to make the winter as unbearable as possible for Ukraine, to destroy morale," the minister said.

"For us, it is clear: we will not abandon Ukraine; it can continue to rely on us. We reaffirmed this to our Ukrainian colleague Denis Shmyhal, who joined us remotely and gave us an update on the situation in Ukraine," Pistorius added.

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