Germany pledges major long-term military aid to Ukraine
Germany will have supplied Ukraine with around €17 billion in military assistance by 2027, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Friday, as part of a sustained aid commitment to Kyiv.
Scholz hailed already agreed budget earmarks that he said would allow Berlin to pledge the support for the five-year period since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022.
A government document published on Wednesday said the investment included €2 billion in 2022, some €5.4 billion this year and another €10.5 billion by 2027.
He told reporters it meant that Germany would provide "the biggest support, also militarily" among Ukraine's partners after the United States.
READ ALSO: Germany to meet NATO's 2 percent spending goal 'starting next year'
During a NATO summit in Vilnius this week, Germany pledged another €700 million in arms for Ukraine.
The package includes two Patriot missile system launchers, another 40 Marder infantry fighting vehicles and 25 Leopard 1 tanks.
Germany in May had already announced a new weapons bundle worth €2.7 billion for Ukraine, ahead of a visit by President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine, Germany has dropped a traditionally pacifist stance and sent a vast array of weaponry to Kyiv, from air defence to artillery systems.
READ ALSO: Germany unveils 2.7 bn euro weapons package for Ukraine
Berlin earlier this year started sending advanced Leopard battle tanks to Ukraine, after months of pleas from Kyiv for the heavy weapons to bolster its counteroffensive against Russia.
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Scholz hailed already agreed budget earmarks that he said would allow Berlin to pledge the support for the five-year period since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022.
A government document published on Wednesday said the investment included €2 billion in 2022, some €5.4 billion this year and another €10.5 billion by 2027.
He told reporters it meant that Germany would provide "the biggest support, also militarily" among Ukraine's partners after the United States.
READ ALSO: Germany to meet NATO's 2 percent spending goal 'starting next year'
During a NATO summit in Vilnius this week, Germany pledged another €700 million in arms for Ukraine.
The package includes two Patriot missile system launchers, another 40 Marder infantry fighting vehicles and 25 Leopard 1 tanks.
Germany in May had already announced a new weapons bundle worth €2.7 billion for Ukraine, ahead of a visit by President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine, Germany has dropped a traditionally pacifist stance and sent a vast array of weaponry to Kyiv, from air defence to artillery systems.
READ ALSO: Germany unveils 2.7 bn euro weapons package for Ukraine
Berlin earlier this year started sending advanced Leopard battle tanks to Ukraine, after months of pleas from Kyiv for the heavy weapons to bolster its counteroffensive against Russia.
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