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German FM urges Scholz to act and support aid to Ukraine amid election campaign

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German FM urges Scholz to act and support aid to Ukraine amid election campaign
Illustrative purposes: Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock gives a speech in Berlin, Germany, on March 24, 2024. (Bernd von Jutrczenka/picture alliance via Getty Images)

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has urged Chancellor Olaf Scholz to avoid politicizing aid to Ukraine during Germany's election campaign, n-tv reported on Jan. 20.

Baerbock made the comments in Berlin, speaking alongside Lithuania’s foreign minister.

“Times are too difficult now, Germany has too much responsibility for us all to indulge in pre-election rhetoric in the coming weeks,” she said.

Baerbock emphasized that Germany has pledged to support Ukraine and its Eastern European partners for as long as necessary.

"This is a crucial issue for trust in Europe, whether we are able to act in the interests of the security of all of us, our European security,” she noted.

Her remarks come amid reports of a growing rift in the intermin Social Democrat-Greens cabinet as Scholz is reluctant to greenlight an additional 3 billion euros ($3.1 billion) in security assistance for Kyiv.

Despite Baerbock's and German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius' (SPD) support for the new assistance tranche, the chancellor said he would sign off on it only if it is paid with additional borrowing, an unpopular step among other parties.

Berlin stands as Ukraine's second largest military donor, a role of growing importance as Ukraine faces a heavy Russian onslaught in the east of the country, and the future of U.S. support appears uncertain under the incoming Trump administration.

Merkel highlights NATO’s role in supporting Ukraine, urges transatlantic unity, media reports
Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that a united NATO, bolstered by strong U.S. leadership, is essential to counter Putin’s ambitions and safeguard Ukraine’s sovereignty, according to Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
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Sonya Bandouil

North American news editor

Sonya Bandouil is a North American news editor for The Kyiv Independent. She previously worked in the fields of cybersecurity and translating, and she also edited for various journals in NYC. Sonya has a Master’s degree in Global Affairs from New York University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Music from the University of Houston, in Texas.

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