German government: EU summit to discuss long-term assistance to Ukraine
Many EU countries pay lip service to helping Ukraine, but in reality, it is becoming increasingly difficult for them to provide assistance. Allies should ensure that military aid is provided to Ukraine on a long-term basis and in sufficient quantities.
The German Federal Government sees its task as encouraging other countries to increase their contributions, Federal Government spokesman Steffen Gebestreit said at a briefing on Monday, Censor.NET reports with reference to Ukrinform.
The spokesperson noted that many EU countries make declarations of readiness to help Ukraine, but in reality, it is becoming increasingly difficult for them to provide assistance. At the same time, in the United States, the issue of supporting Kyiv has become dependent on domestic political debate. Against the backdrop of these developments, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is in constant contact with both the American leadership and his European counterparts, and since the beginning of the year he has had numerous telephone conversations with EU heads of state and government, Gebestreit noted.
"We see that this (war - Ed.) may last for some time, so we have to create conditions for our assistance to continue in the long term ... to enable Ukraine to resist the aggressor and repel the enemy," the spokesman said.
He informed that the German government has allocated 7.4 billion euros for military assistance to Ukraine in the 2024 budget. This is a lot of money, so it is possible to transfer a lot of weapons, the spokesman noted, but this amount is more than half of what the rest of the EU states provide together. In recent days, Scholz has repeatedly said that this is not enough and called on other countries to see what else they can provide. The issue will be discussed at the EU summit on February 1.
Gebestreit also added that Germany transfers military equipment and materials to Kyiv that are effective, which include spare parts and ammunition, but also those that can be transferred over time, not just once. When asked whether the government had made a decision on the transfer of Taurus cruise missiles, he said no.
