German Chancellor Olaf Schlolz and his chief challenger in the upcoming elections, Friedrich Merz, agreed during a television debate on Feb. 9 that Berlin must continue supporting Ukraine and that Russia's war must end as soon as possible.
Polls show Merz's conservative CDU/CSU alliance as a clear favorite for the Feb. 23 snap elections. The vote was called after Social Democrat (SPD) Scholz's ruling coalition lost the parliamentary majority with the exit of the Free Democratic Party (FDP).
During the debate, Merz said that the war "could have ended sooner if Ukraine had been supported more decisively and with less hesitation," reiterating his earlier position that Germany should provide Kyiv with long-range Taurus missiles.
Scholz, whose government has become the second-largest military donor to Ukraine since the outbreak of the full-scale war, has long refused to supply the long-range cruise missiles, fearing it could draw Germany into the conflict.
Merz called for a united strategy between Europe and the U.S. allies on the Russia-Ukraine war and warned against excluding Ukraine from the conversation. According to the German conservative leader, it is also important to see what Washington's next steps will be.
The German chancellor, in turn, stressed the need to help Ukraine build up a powerful army, reminding the assistance his government had already provided.
"We must help Ukraine have a strong army. Because its economy will not be able to finance an army of the size it needs for defense," Scholz said.
Berlin has supplied Kyiv with $11 billion in military assistance between February 2022 and October 2024, ranking below only the U.S., according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy. The provided hardware included Leopard 1 and 2 tanks, artillery, armored vehicles, Patriot, IRIS-T, and Gepard air defenses, and more.
As Ukraine's leading European backer, Germany is expected to play a key role in the pro-Kyiv coalition amid the uncertain future of U.S. support under Donald Trump's administration.
Olena Goncharova
(Updated: )
