Germany will be able to provide most of the 4 billion euros ($4.3 billion) promised to Ukraine, even if the 2025 budget is not approved in time due to the coalition collapse, Reuters reported on Nov. 7, citing unnamed sources from the budget committee.
Germany's three-party governing coalition collapsed on Nov. 6 after German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that he had dismissed Finance Minister Christian Lindner.
Such a move will likely propel the country into a snap election in the near term, as it is unlikely that Scholz's Social Democratic Party (SDP) will have enough votes to pass next year's budget.
The funds for Ukraine are mainly committed appropriations and can be allocated under provisional budget management if the budget is not passed, four sources told Reuters.
The likely delay in the budget means no spending on new projects, although some expenses, such as increased aid to Ukraine, may still pass.
In February, Germany's parliament approved the country's budget for this year, including 7.6 billion euros ($8.2 billion) in military assistance for Kyiv. According to the draft of the 2025 budget, the aid was cut by half, Reuters reported.
Scholz reportedly wanted to increase the support package for Ukraine to 15 billion euros ($16.1 billion) and finance it by suspending the debt brake, a law that limits borrowing, government sources told Reuters.
Scholz partly justified Lindner's dismissal by saying that he had asked the minister to relax spending rules to allow increased aid for Ukraine, but Lindner refused.
Initially criticized for its sluggish delivery of military aid to Ukraine following the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Berlin has become the second-largest provider of military equipment after the U.S.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
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