Ukraine’s military aid package pending approval, not blocked, says German Defense Minister
Nation13 January 2025, 10:35 AM
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius refuted media reports suggesting that Chancellor Olaf Scholz is blocking the allocation of a €3 billion ($3.06 billion) military aid package to Ukraine in an interview with the Tagesspiegel published on Jan. 12.
“There is no blockade,” he said, adding that the government’s internal approval of the package has not yet been completed.
A political decision on the allocation of the package, which was prepared by the Defense Ministry, has yet to be made.
This follows an earlier report by Der Spiegel on Jan. 10 that Pistorius and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock wanted to allocate an additional budget of about €3 billion for arms supplies to Ukraine before the Bundestag elections scheduled for Feb. 23. But in early January, the implementation of this plan was reportedly stalled after the Chancellor's office unofficially indicated that it did not support the idea.