Berlin: The German government on Friday said it planned to release more than one billion euros in military assistance for Ukraine, amid complaints by Kyiv did not accept heavy weapons from Berlin.
Funds will display additional budgets for this year.
In total, taking into account all countries, Berlin has decided to increase its international assistance in the defense sector “to two billion Euros” with “the largest part planned in the form of military assistance that supports Ukraine”, a AFP government spokesman said.
This two billion euro envelope “will go mainly to Ukraine”, Minister of Finance Christian Lindner was confirmed on Twitter.
The funds must be used by Ukraine for most of the purchases of military equipment.
This step follows the growing criticism of Ukraine, and some EU partners such as Poland and Baltic countries, from lack of support in terms of weaponry for Kyiv.
Diplomatic feathers ruffled at the beginning of the week after Kyiv rejected the visit proposed by the German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, a former Foreign Minister who recently admitted “error” in an over-depth attitude towards Moscow in the past.
The Ukrainian presidency instead said he wanted to welcome Chancellor Olaf Scholz to Kyiv, but the Chancellor indicated that he had no plans to visit in the near future
Spat comes when Scholz faces pressure to increase support for Ukraine.
He has arrived at home for hesitating sending heavy weapons to Ukraine, even though the dramatic u-turn on the German defense policy was asked by the Russian invasion.
Following a visit to Kyiv by several other world leaders, including British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the Head of Ursula Von Der Leyen, the critics asked why Scholz himself did not travel.
The Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany, Andriy Melnyk, said Scholz’s trip to Kyiv would send a “strong signal”, while the opposition CDU urged him to “get the idea of the situation in the field”.
Even a member of the Scholz Ruler Coalition, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, from the Liberal FDP, which was suggested in an interview with Handelsblatt’s daily business on Monday that Scholz had to “start using his strength and leadership”.