German Ministry of Defense: the draft budget lacks 5 billion euros to help Kyiv
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Germany’s draft budget for 2024 lacks more than 5 billion euros in military aid to Ukraine, writes Bild with reference to a confidential document from the country’s Ministry of Defense.
The German Ministry of Finance in the draft budget has provided only 4 billion euros to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and almost all the funds have already been reserved. At the same time, the Ministry of Defense believes that in 2024 it will be necessary to allocate 2.3 billion euros for equipment repairs, supplies of spare parts and logistics, 880 million euros for air defense systems for Ukraine, 675 million euros for armored combat vehicles, 935 million euros for protective equipment and etc.
“We must keep our word. It should not be the case that next year we will not have financial assistance to Ukraine,” said MP Andreas Schwarz, responsible for the defense budget in the Budget Committee of the Bundestag.
The German Ministry of Finance, he believes, is obliged to allocate additional funds to help Ukraine before the final adoption of the budget in mid-November.
10 October German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced a package of military assistance to Ukraine worth 1 billion euros, including the Patriot air defense system and the IRIS-T missile system. Kyiv will also be supplied with three Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, ten Leopard 1 A5 tanks, 20 armored medical vehicles, 15 armored personnel carriers, as well as 155-caliber shells.
On October 6, the Chairman of the Bundestag Defense Committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, said that Germany may decide to send German Taurus cruise missiles to Kyiv if the United States announces the sending of ATACMS guided missiles. On October 17, it became known that the United States had supplied Ukraine with such missiles.
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