Berlin, March 21, 2025 – Germany has greenlit a €3 billion ($3.25 billion) military aid infusion for Ukraine, elevating its 2025 support to €7 billion ($7.2 billion), a parliamentary insider revealed Friday. The move, finalized alongside a hefty defense and infrastructure spending bill, underscores Germany’s pivot to a more assertive role in European security. Germany Bolsters Ukraine with €3 Billion Military
The aid targets Ukraine’s pressing needs with artillery munitions, air defense systems like three IRIS-T units and three Skyranger systems, 10 howitzers, 20 armored vehicles, drones, and a stockpile of missiles, per Süddeutsche Zeitung reports. This package aims to fortify Kyiv’s defenses as Russian aggression persists.
Incoming Chancellor Friedrich Merz, steering the CDU/CSU-led coalition with SPD and Greens, championed the initiative, framing it as a return to German leadership. “Germany stands firm for freedom and peace in Europe,” Merz stated in Berlin on Thursday. His coalition eased the “debt brake” fiscal rule to unlock greater defense funds, a move expected to pass with a two-thirds majority in the Bundestag vote on March 18.
The outgoing Olaf Scholz administration has tied the aid’s release to parliamentary budget approval, aligning with Merz’s preemptive push before the new Bundestag convenes on March 25. However, the chamber may face friction, with the far-right AfD and leftist Die Linke—both skeptical of Ukraine aid—poised to gain seats.
Europe’s broader defense landscape remains uneven. Italy and Spain have balked at a proposed EU-wide military aid boost for Ukraine, exposing cracks in continental unity. Germany’s step forward also reflects unease over potential U.S. policy shifts under President Donald Trump, prompting a European defense rethink.
With this aid, Germany cements its status as one of Ukraine’s staunchest European allies, blending humanitarian resolve with strategic recalibration in a volatile geopolitical era.
