Germany will not reduce support for Ukraine, instead increasing military assistance and immediately providing €170 million in winter aid to demonstrate to Putin, among other things, that he will not succeed in Ukraine.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced this on Wednesday during a speech in the Bundestag amid debates on the 2026 budget.
“Germany will continue to support Ukraine at a very high level in the federal budget for 2026. In light of recent events, we have increased this amount by an additional €3 billion, bringing the total to €11.5 billion. And we are immediately providing an extra €170 million for infrastructure to mitigate the impact of Russian terrorism on Ukraine’s winter supplies,” Merz said.
He emphasized that Germany will not stop its support for Ukraine.
“We will support the Ukrainian people as long as necessary. And we want to make frozen Russian assets available precisely for this. Putin must understand that he has no chance to win this war at the expense of Europeans and the European peace order,” the chancellor stressed.
Merz welcomed the U.S. efforts to end the war but emphasized that Ukraine and Europe do not seek peace through capitulation and will not accept negotiations behind their backs.
“An agreement made between major powers without Ukraine’s consent and without Europe’s consent cannot form the basis for a genuine, sustainable peace in Ukraine… At this fateful moment — for Ukraine, for Europe, and for us together with the United States — I also want to make it clear: decisions on European matters can only be made with Europe’s consent. Europe is not a toy in someone else’s hands, but a sovereign actor defending its own interests and values,” the chancellor said.
He reiterated that the war could end tomorrow if Russia stops its illegal attack under international law and withdraws its troops from foreign territory.
“In this conflict, there is only one aggressor. Naming him is a prerequisite for an internal reference point needed to resolve this conflict… And for real negotiations to even become possible, Putin must be shown the futility of his military adventure,” Merz concluded.
