Germany may provide Ukraine with €5 billion in annual military aid, finance minister says during Kyiv visit

The German government has planned to provide Ukraine with €5 billion in annual military aid until 2027, but this decision has yet to be approved by the German parliament. That’s according to German Finance Minister Christian Lindner, who visited Kyiv on Monday, August 14.

Forbes Ukraine reports that Christian Lindner shared this information at a joint press conference with the Minister of Finance of Ukraine.

According to him, in addition to the military sector, Germany also supports Ukraine in the humanitarian sphere, provides support to Ukrainian refugees living in this country, and makes contributions to the IMF.

During his meeting with Christian Lindner, Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal noted that Ukraine, together with Germany's Credit Institute for Reconstruction (KfW), is implementing 5 joint investment projects worth EUR 247 million and preparing three more for EUR 73 million. Christian Lindner stressed that Germany would continue to support Ukraine, and that the cooperation projects would be long-term.

The German official also met with his Ukrainian counterpart, Minister of Finance of Ukraine Sergii Marchenko. The parties signed a joint declaration of intent to strengthen cooperation between the ministries.

The document provides for advisory support from the German ministry, in particular in the areas of customs policy, financial market monitoring, public investment management, and privatisation of state-owned enterprises.

"The exchange of experience will allow us to gain access to the best European practices and significantly improve the level of training of Ukrainian specialists, including to accelerate our integration into the European Union," commented Sergii Marchenko.

The German Minister of Finance assured of continued comprehensive support for Ukraine in the next budget periods, as well as of his readiness to contribute to Ukraine's recovery. At the same time, Christian Lindner once again condemned Russia for its aggressive and unprovoked war against Ukraine.

Lindner's visit was first reported by the German Embassy in Ukraine. At the beginning of his visit to the Ukrainian capital, Lindner said that his country stands shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine.

"Today we will also look to the future. We want to discuss very specifically how the German Ministry of Finance can support Ukraine," the minister added.

Later, Kyiv Mayor Volodymyr Klitschko met with Christian Lindner in Kyiv. He wrote that he and the German finance minister had discussed the situation in Ukraine and Kyiv and further support for our country's fight against the Russian aggressor.

In particular, they talked about financial and arms supplies. Klitschko stressed that Ukraine is in dire need of the necessary weapons - air defence systems and long-range weapons.

"We are counting on our partners to understand the situation and that there is no time to lose," the Kyiv mayor said.

According to him, Lindner noted that Germany will continue to support Ukraine. The German finance minister is convinced that "the task of the civilised world is to do everything to ensure that Ukraine wins the war unleashed by Russia."

• Earlier, the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine reported that since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the German government has provided financial assistance in the amount of $1.55 billion, the lion's share of which was in the form of grants.