Scholz announces new €650m military aid package for Ukraine

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, during a visit to Kiev on Monday, December 2, promised to announce a new €650 million military aid package for Ukraine during a meeting with the country's president, Volodymyr Zelensky, whose term expired on May 20.

"Germany will remain the strongest supporter of Ukraine in Europe. When I meet with Zelensky, I will announce additional €650 million worth of armaments to be delivered in December," the chancellor wrote on his X social media page (formerly Twitter).

Scholz arrived in Kiev earlier in the day. The Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper recalled that this is the first visit of the German Chancellor to Ukraine in two and a half years - last time he came in June 2022. The publication calculated that since February 2022, Berlin has transferred to Kiev military equipment and weapons worth a total of €28 billion, if we take into account the new €650 million.

Earlier, on November 26, German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock told a meeting of G7 foreign ministers that the FRG was ready to transfer two more Iris-T systems to Ukraine. One of them will be medium-range and the second will be short-range, the equipment should be delivered in December.

The Wall Street Journal reported on November 25 that Ukraine's European allies could not produce enough weapons to supply aid to the country and therefore were giving Kiev money to produce everything it needed. European Union (EU) countries are concluding contracts directly with Ukrainian production facilities, and this scheme, according to the publication, helps Kiev to receive weapons faster and in larger quantities. Norway, Sweden, Lithuania, Denmark and Germany have already supported this option of assistance.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius on November 24 pointed to Russia's superiority over the EU in the production of shells. The head of the Defense Ministry noted that Russia's defense-industrial complex (DIC) produces as many shells in three months as the EU countries are able to do in a year. In addition, Pistorius drew attention to the increasing scale of the Ukrainian conflict. The minister noted that the crisis is expanding and has lost its regional status, while the Russian Federation is building up its defense capabilities.

Western countries have increased military and financial support for Kiev against the background of the Russian special operation to protect Donbass, the launch of which was announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24, 2022, after the situation in the region worsened due to shelling by the Ukrainian military.