Scholz on Ukraine aid: Germany should be prepared to do more 'when others are faltering'
Germany should be prepared to increase its support for Ukraine "when others are faltering," German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Dec. 9, apparently referring to the uncertainty over further aid to Ukraine in the U.S.
Speaking at a conference of his Social Democratic Party, Scholz pledged that decisions will be made to ensure Germany's continued military and financial aid to Ukraine, according to Deutsche Welle.
Russia's war against Ukraine "will probably not finish anytime soon," he said, which makes it important that Germany continues to be in a position "to keep supporting Ukraine in its fight to defend itself."
Germany is the second largest contributor of military aid to Ukraine after the U.S.
Scholz's statement comes amid a budget crisis in Germany caused by a Constitutional Court ruling in mid-November that created a hole in Berlin's planned spending for 2024.
Meanwhile, in the U.S., funding for Ukraine has become a source of controversy among lawmakers, bringing the government to the brink of a shutdown.
Republicans in the U.S. Senate blocked a supplemental funding bill that combined $61 billion in aid for Ukraine with assistance for Israel and Taiwan in a procedural vote held on Dec. 6.
The White House has warned that the funds to assist Ukraine will be exhausted in the coming weeks unless Congress takes prompt action.
The European Union's funds for Ukraine are also delayed as Hungary and Slovakia have opposed a $53 billion package for Ukraine's economic recovery.
Nate Ostiller
