despite disagreements, Berlin sends new aid of 1.3 billion euros

2023-11-21 15:34:00

While the 27 are divided, Berlin reaffirms its support for kyiv. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, visiting Kiev on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the pro-Western Maidan revolution, announced on Tuesday new military assistance of 1.3 billion euros to Ukraine , at a time when Westerners are seeking reassurance regarding the sustainability of their support. He was followed shortly following by the President of the European Council Charles Michel.

Germany doubles its military aid to Ukraine, an unprecedented effort

According to Boris Pistorius, the aid includes four new Iris-T SLM air defense systems, whose delivery is scheduled for 2025, and artillery ammunition, which Ukraine badly needs. As a reminder, Germany has already delivered 3 Iris-Ts to Ukraine and a fourth device is planned this year. Four systems must also be delivered during 2024 and those promised on Tuesday for 2025.

Germany: sanctioned for its budgetary sleight of hand, Berlin freezes all new spending for 2023

However, he said nothing regarding cruise missiles, requested for months by Ukraine to strike Russian positions, warehouses, command centers and supply lines far behind the front. Germany, which fears they might be used to strike inside Russia, has been procrastinating for months, while Kiev insists the long-range weapons are key to forcing the Russian military to beat retired.

Berlin reiterates its support for kyiv

The minister, who spoke following a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Roustem Oumerov, had in the morning assured Ukraine of “ solidarity » from Berlin. And the reminder message regarding Germany’s military support for kyiv is not new. On November 12, the German Minister of Defense had already announced a doubling, to eight billion euros, of military aid initially planned for 2024.

All these announcements from the Bundestag are made in a context of tension over the maintenance of military aid. Ukraine is striving to guarantee the continuation of European and American assistance, while voices in the West are being raised to demand a reduction in this support, following almost two years of intense war.

In Europe, some member states are starting to raise their voices. At the beginning of November, the newly elected Slovak government, for example, decided to block a major arms delivery to Ukraine, which had been planned by the previous executive. Poland also said in September that it would no longer send new weapons and would only ensure arms deliveries to Ukraine. previously agreed » with kyiv, following having said the day before that they now wanted “focus mainly on the modernization and rapid arming of the Polish army. » The spokesperson for the Polish government, Piotr Muller, also recently declared that Poland might end next year its aid provided to Ukrainian refugees, of whom it is hosting nearly a million.

At the origin of this cold between the countries of Eastern Europe: a quarrel over Ukrainian wheat. Ukrainian exports have been subject to a temporary embargo since the spring in five countries (Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia). The reason behind this limitation: to protect farmers from imports accused of lowering prices on local markets. These measures allowed the products concerned to continue to transit through these five countries, but without being able to be sold on their markets.

The United States divided on maintaining aid to kyiv

But tensions on this issue are also felt across the Atlantic. At the beginning of November, Parliament became angry because some Republican elected officials called for an immediate end to aid to kyiv.

Nevertheless, on Monday, November 20, American Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was in Kiev to reassure Ukrainian leaders regarding the sustainability of Washington’s support, announcing new military aid for Ukraine of $100 million. This assistance comes from funds already approved by the American Congress, pending the vote on a new budget envelope for Ukraine requested by President Joe Biden, but which remains on hold due to opposition from Republican elected officials. .

Berlin sees its 2023 budget frozen

The new aid from Berlin is all the more surprising as it comes in a very complicated context for the government of Olaf Scholz. According to AFP, the German Finance Ministry announced a freeze of a large part of the 2023 budget, due to the decision last week by the Constitutional Court to prohibit an envelope of 60 billion euros. The freeze concerns “authorizations for commitment in 2023”, that is to say new expenditure not already planned and which would commit the federal State within the framework of multi-annual programs for example, explained AFP, citing a source close to the matter. This aims to avoid an accumulation of charges “for years to come”, while “existing obligations will continue to be respected”, according to the same source.

At the origin of this freeze, a decision of the Constitutional Court which considered that Berlin had violated the so-called rule of “ debt brake “. Enshrined in the national Basic Law since 2009, this rule limits new State borrowing to 0.35% of GDP each year – except for budgets allocated to so-called constitutional bodies, such as the two chambers of Parliament, the Chancellery and the presidency or the Constitutional Court. However, German justice affirms that the government deviated from this rule by using a special fund to “ climate and transformation » – not accounted for in the budget -, authorized during the health crisis, but which no longer has to be, according to her.

(With AFP)