Germany to provide additional €170 million in winter aid to Ukraine, says Merz
Germany will continue and significantly expand its support for Ukraine, Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced during the 2026 budget debate in the Bundestag.
According to Merz, Berlin is increasing military funding and providing a separate aid package of €170 million to support Ukraine’s energy infrastructure during the winter. The overall budgeted aid to Ukraine has also been raised by €3 billion, bringing the total federal allocation for 2026 to €11.5 billion.
“Germany will continue to support Ukraine at a very high level in the federal budget for 2026. In view of recent events, we have increased this amount by another €3 billion, bringing the total to €11.5 billion. And we are immediately providing an additional €170 million for infrastructure to mitigate the impact of Russian terrorism on Ukraine’s winter supplies,” Merz said.
The chancellor stressed that Germany’s support for Kyiv remains unwavering:
“We will support the Ukrainian people for as long as necessary. We also want to make frozen Russian assets available for this very purpose. Putin must realise that he has no chance of winning this war at the expense of Europeans and the European peace order.”
Merz welcomed US diplomatic initiatives but warned that peace cannot be imposed on Ukraine by major powers without its consent.
“An agreement concluded between major powers without the consent of Ukraine and Europeans will not form the basis for genuine, lasting peace. Europe is not a toy in the hands of others, but a sovereign actor defending its interests and values,” the chancellor said.
He reiterated that the responsibility for the conflict lies solely with the Kremlin, and that real negotiations require Moscow to recognize the futility of its military campaign.
“There is only one aggressor in this conflict. For genuine negotiations to be possible, Putin must understand the futility of his military adventure. The war could end tomorrow if Moscow stopped the attack and withdrew its troops from Ukrainian territory,” Merz added.
The chancellor emphasized that any successful peace plan requires Russia’s genuine willingness to negotiate, warning that without such commitment from Moscow, no peace proposals will succeed.
