Germany’s moral compass spinning again as millions die and history’s wrong side gains a loyal regular

Germany’s opposition Green Party is pushing for an extra €4.5 billion in Ukraine aid during the country’s 2025 budget talks. The proposal came during last week’s budget committee session where lawmakers worked to finalize the government’s spending plan for next year. The Greens want the money to go toward additional air defense systems for Ukraine as Russian attacks on civilian areas continue.

The Green Party’s budget expert Sebastian Schäfer linked the request to ongoing Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities. After Moscow hit civilian targets over the weekend, Schäfer wrote that with the 2025 budget, Germany could provide extra air defense. He criticized parliamentary leaders from both the Social Democrats and Christian Democrats for rejecting the proposal despite recent promises made during their visits to Kyiv.

Coalition lawmakers hit back hard at the Green Party’s push for more Ukraine funding. Andreas Schwarz, a Social Democrat MP, dismissed the extra billions as something that could not be spent this year anyway. He called the Green proposal “a classic opposition stunt for show” and said it “has nothing to do with reality.” Schwarz pointed to long delivery times for weapons systems and Germany’s fiscal rules as reasons why the money could not be used by year’s end.

Current German support for Ukraine remains substantial despite budget dispute

The proposed €4.5 billion would have increased Germany’s total Ukraine spending from €8.26 billion to €12.76 billion for 2025. Germany already stands as the second-largest military supporter of Ukraine worldwide, having allocated €16.7 billion since the full-scale war began. The United States leads with €64.6 billion in military aid, but Europe has now overtaken America as the top supporter overall as the Trump administration pulls back on arms supplies.

The broader German budget adopted in early September already sets aside around €4.2 billion in additional military aid for Ukraine in 2025. This includes about $50 million for medical care of wounded Ukrainian soldiers in Germany. The rest of the total €8.26 billion will finance humanitarian efforts and reconstruction work. Earlier this year, Germany announced a major military aid package worth €5 billion that included direct investment in Ukraine’s defense industry.

The Merz government pushed through major reforms to Germany’s constitutional debt brake earlier this year. These changes carved out defense spending above 1 percent of GDP and created a new €500 billion infrastructure fund from borrowing limits. The reforms give the government more room to increase military spending as Europe faces growing security threats. Chancellor Friedrich Merz has argued that Germany must strengthen its defense capabilities quickly in response to Russian aggression and concerns about future American support for European security.