Germany is seeking to greatly expand its proposed security assistance to Ukraine in 2024, according to a senior official.
While speaking before a meeting of European Union leaders on Nov. 13, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the nation’s proposed aid funding for Ukraine would “be massively expanded next year.”
German public-service broadcasters first reported that the plan seeks to double Germany’s originally planned Ukraine aid package from 4 billion euros ($4.28 billion) to 8 billion euros ($8.56 billion). The German parliament’s budget committee will need to sign off on the plan later this week.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said the effort would help to ensure that Germany wouldn’t need to continuously request more money for Ukraine throughout 2024 but could instead draw from a larger pot according to Ukraine’s needs as they emerged.
International Attention Split Between Ukraine, Israel
Securing long-term funding for Ukraine’s defense is becoming a key concern among international leadership as public concern shifts toward the ongoing Israel–Hamas war in Gaza.A key component of Russian strategy in Ukraine is to simply outlast international aid, which Moscow believes will erode with time and changing administrations.
Ms. Baerbock said it was vital that European powers continue to “face the geopolitical challenge” in Ukraine, even as Europe grapples with the ramifications of war between Israel and the Hamas terrorist group.
European nations have contributed more than the United States to Ukraine, although the United States initially led international aid efforts. Germany has been the leader among European powers in terms of the sheer amount spent, contributing some $23 billion euros ($24.6 billion) worth of aid to Ukraine to date.
European officials believe that Ukraine will require more funding to ensure that Russia doesn’t continue to launch invasions of Eastern Europe as part of a wider strategy to reunite the former territories of the Soviet Union.
While speaking to reporters in Washington last month, Czech national security adviser Tomas Pojar said Ukraine would likely require 10 or more years of international funding to ensure that Russia doesn’t push further into Europe.
“We have to really have it long term, and I think that the flow of weapons to Ukraine has to be there for 10 more years,” Mr. Pojar said.
Russia Expected to Increase Winter Attacks on Civilians
News of Germany’s efforts comes as Ukraine prepares for its second winter after Russia’s full-scale invasion.Last winter, Russian forces primarily targeted Ukrainian food, energy, and transportation infrastructure in an attempt to starve and freeze the population into submission.
The United States and its partners described the tactics as crimes against humanity and called on the international community to condemn Russia’s almost daily attacks on housing, food stores, and other infrastructure.
Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy said the Ukrainian people must prepare for another such winter and work to maintain its military capabilities in the face of food and power shortages.
“We are almost halfway through November, and we must be prepared for the possibility that the enemy may increase the number of drone or missile strikes against our infrastructure,” Mr. Zelenskyy said during his nightly address on Nov. 12.
“Russia is preparing for winter. And in Ukraine, all our attention should be focused on defense, on response to terrorists, on everything Ukraine can do to make it easier for our people to get through this winter and to increase the capabilities of our troops.”
