German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Jan 16. in a phone call with U.S. President Joe Biden said that Berlin will unilaterally provide Ukraine with over seven billion euros in military goods in 2024.
Ukraine is highly dependent on Western military and financial support as it continues to fend off Russian forces.
However, Germany's direct approach has drawn criticism from some senior EU policymakers. The EU's Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton on Jan. 15 slammed Berlin for not backing multilateral EU mechanisms to deliver aid.
"Today we see that Germany is trying to go solo, it hasn't fooled anyone, and in particular it is trying to stop supporting the European Peace Facility," Breton said in Paris on Jan. 16, Politico reported.
With no end to the war in sight, worry is growing in in some European capitals about the credibility of U.S. security guarantees with a $60 billion special Ukraine aid deal stalled by conservative lawmakers.
German officials have expressed frustration that the European Peace Facility mechanism currently used to disburse aid to Kyiv is being exploited by some EU member states.
Germany, the EU's largest economy and budget contributor, has urged other countries to step up their fiscal support for Ukraine.
Dinara Khalilova
