German parliament's budget committee supports hiking Ukraine aid to 11.5 billion euros in 2026
The Bundestag's budget committee approved on Nov. 14 a proposal for next year's budget, which includes an increase of aid for Ukraine to 11.5 billion euros ($13.4 billion).
Germany's finance and defense ministries announced earlier this year that they propose increasing support to Kyiv for 2026 from the initial 8.5 billion euros ($9.9 billion) by an additional 3 billion euros ($3.5 billion).
The news comes as a welcome boost for Ukraine, which faces intensifying Russian aerial strikes and ground operations, while continued support from the U.S. remains uncertain.
The increased financing is expected to cover artillery, drones, armored vehicles, and the replacement of two Patriot missile systems, according to German media. The German parliament will hold a full vote on the budget proposal on Nov. 28.
The spending hike was made possible thanks to the ruling coalition's decision to loosen Germany's debt brake.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius highlighted the decision during an E5-format meeting in Berlin with ministers and top defense officials from the U.K., France, Poland, Italy, and chief EU diplomat Kaja Kallas.
Germany's defense chief also announced that Berlin has agreed to allocate an additional 150 million euros ($175 million) in military aid to Kyiv under the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative.
The PURL initiative, launched earlier this year, enables NATO allies to buy advanced U.S. weaponry for Kyiv.
Germany previously donated $500 million to Ukraine under the initiative, while eight Nordic and Baltic NATO allies announced another PURL package worth $500 million earlier this week.
Speaking at the E5 meeting, Pistorius denounced Russia's most recent aerial strikes, saying Russian President Vladimir Putin aims to make the winter as unbearable for Ukraine as possible.
Moscow's forces launched a combined mass attack against Kyiv overnight on Nov. 14, killing at least six people and injuring dozens more. Ukraine's Energy Ministry reported power outages in Donetsk, Kyiv, and Odesa oblasts.
