Germany is Ukraine’s largest donor of military aid, after the U.S., in absolute terms. But as U.S. aid flows to Ukraine stall, European countries have attempted to pick up the slack. Still, military aid to Ukraine dropped sharply over the summer despite a deal to allow European NATO countries to acquire weapons from U.S. stockpiles.
Germany’s overall draft budget deal foresees total expenditure of around €524.5 billion in 2026 — €4 billion more than initially anticipated.
Lawmakers on the coalition’s budget committee approved debt of more than €180 billion, a level made possible by a historic reform of spending rules passed earlier this year, which largely exempted defense expenditures and Ukraine aid from Germany’s constitutional “debt brake.” The draft budget must still be approved by lawmakers in Germany’s Bundestag.
As Russia’s invasion grinds on, Ukraine’s war chest is running increasingly low. At the same time, European countries’ military aid to Kyiv declined by 57 percent this summer compared to the beginning of the year, according to a report by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy. This decline follows U.S. President Donald Trump’s suspension of new aid packages to Ukraine earlier this year.
The European Commission wants to use sanctioned Russian cash to fund a €140 billion loan to Ukraine, but the plan is stalled due to Belgian objections. European leaders say they will attempt to reach an agreement to unlock the funds during a summit in December at the latest.