Defense Minister Pistorius has said in the daily topics Allegations that Chancellor Scholz is blocking a further aid package for Ukraine have been rejected. In the event of a possible loss of US support for Ukraine, he sees Europe as having a duty.
Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has spoken out in favor of an additional arms delivery worth three billion euros to Ukraine before the federal election. The work on this has been completed, said Pistorius in an interview with daily topics. The minister arrived in Kyiv in the morning for an unannounced visit.
However, it is currently unclear where the additional money for the arms deliveries will come from. “There is no budget for 2025. As a result, the amount is not planned,” said the SPD politician. “This path must be found now and I hope that will happen in the next few days.” The minister warned that delays could create a gap in the ordering and procurement of materials for Ukraine.
“That's not an excuse”
Pistorius sharply contradicted the accusation that Chancellor Olaf Scholz is currently blocking a solution under the pretext of not wanting to raise the additional money through cuts in social benefits. “That's not a pretext. It's actually the case that in this phase you can't say that you're taking three billion from a budget that is under provisional budget management,” said Pistorius. “But I see no reason to assume that the Chancellor will slow down here.”
Pistorius: “Don’t worry about German support for Ukraine”
In view of Donald Trump's upcoming inauguration as the new US President on January 20th, there are many open questions regarding the US's continued support for Ukraine. “In Ukraine, people are of course thinking about what decisions to expect from Washington,” said Pistorius.
“But people are actually not worried at all about the support of their European partners and especially not when it comes to Germany,” said Pistorius. Ukraine knows about Germany's support and nothing will change.
Further US support questionable
According to Pistorius, if US support were to disappear, it is possible that European partners could compensate. “Certainly not immediately, but it is possible. Both financially and in terms of production capacity. But it would be a feat of strength,” said Pistorius. But it would be better if the USA under Trump continued its support for Ukraine. “So far we don't know the signals as to what will actually happen next.”
Regardless of the decision in Washington, it is important to improve cooperation with the Ukrainian defense industry. In addition, Europe would have to take more responsibility for its own security in Europe.
According to Pistorius, there are still many question marks regarding Trump's announcement after taking office that he wants to ensure peace in Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. “We don't know what initiatives will actually come from the White House,” said Pistorius. However, they are preparing to take on a role in this possible process. Ukraine and Russia would first have to decide what that would look like.
