Germany is planning to nearly halve military aid for Ukraine next year, from around €8bn (£6.7bn; $8.7bn) to around €4bn, according to a draft budget approved by the government.
Finance Minister Christian Lindner said Ukraine’s financing was “secure for the foreseeable future” due to a G7 group of rich nations scheme to raise $50bn from interest on frozen Russian assets.
Germany is Ukraine’s second biggest military donor, after the US. In 2024, Berlin’s budget for Kyiv is set at nearly €7.5bn.
As I said: No official policy change. Not ruling something out is not the same as actually doing it.
Germany stopped weapons exports before Nicaragua brought its case to the ICJ, the last salient shipment were 2000 PzF a week or two after the attacks. You need to read between the lines here, Germany neither wants to be complicit nor give more moderate Israelis – like, say, Gantz, I can’t believe I’m calling him moderate – the impression that it has abandoned Israel.
Scholz was pressured for a statement and, with his absolutely stellar skill in waffling, said nothing of any consequence. Are we, in the future, going to ship weapons to Israel? I think so, and I don’t think Scholz lied when he said exactly that. But doing that before Netanyahu and his goons are ousted? I’d be surprised, at least half the republic would be up in arms, the coalition would likely break apart, it’s the kind of thing that can easily bring down a government. And for what, just to have courts double-check the permits and decide that they can’t be issued legally? Nah. Even if they wanted to, they wouldn’t try.
Please do you have sources to back up your claims that none have been shipped since around October? I don’t want to sound like I’m trying to disprove you but would like to use and see the sources myself.
It would’ve been all over the news and there would’ve been blood on the streets. Or at least tear gas.