Germany is not currently seen as a "driving force for peace policy in Europe," German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told Politico in comments published on Jan. 17, criticizing her own government for hesitancy in supporting Ukraine.
Key developments on Jan. 14: * Ukraine targets Russia's industrial plants, ammunition depots in 'massive' strike overnight * Equipping troops takes priority over lowering draft age, Zelensky says * Ukraine denies transferring Air Force personnel to infantry amid troop shortages * Germany to deploy Patriot at Poland's key hub for Ukraine aid by end
The German government is still discussing a proposed 3 billion euros ($3.09 billion) aid package for Ukraine, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on Jan. 14, according to Ukrinform.
Monitoring group German Aid to Ukraine wrote earlier that two MIM-104 Patriot fire units and a total of 200 Bundeswehr soldiers will be deployed to Poland for an estimated six months to protect Polish airspace.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius arrived in Kyiv to discuss further military aid for the country resisting Russian aggression, Deutsche Welle reported on Jan. 14.
Key developments on Jan. 13: * Russia claims to occupy 2 more villages in Ukraine's east; Kyiv hasn't confirmed * Ukraine's special forces claim to repel North Korean assault in Russia's Kursk Oblast, killing 17 soldiers * Ukraine opens doors to foreign firms for military equipment modernization * Germany announces first deliveries of promised
Germany delivered the first batch of the promised 54 RCH 155 self-propelled howitzers, the country's Foreign Minister Boris Pistorius said during a news conference on Jan. 13. Six out of the 54 howitzers will remain in Germany to train Ukrainian personnel.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius denied media reports that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz blocked a proposal for an additional military aid package for Ukraine worth 3 billion euros ($3.09 billion), adding that a decision on the funding awaits.
"The towing convoy is moving eastwards to a position northeast of Cape Arkona (Rügen)," Germany's Central Command for Maritime Emergencies (CCME) said, referring to the German island in the southwestern part of the Baltic Sea.
The initiative reportedly included the provision weapons including three additional Iris-T air defense batteries, 10 howitzers, and more artillery ammunition.
The order for a new batch of rounds of HEI-T ammunition (High Explosive Incendiary with Tracer) was booked in December 2024 and is funded by the German government.
Roderich Kiesewetter, defense spokesperson for Germany's Christian Democratic Union (CDU), said earlier that "there are increasing indications that Chancellor Scholz will travel to Moscow and meet Putin before Feb. 23."
"There are increasing indications that Chancellor Scholz will travel to Moscow and meet Putin before February 23," Roderich Kiesewetter, defense spokesperson for Germany's Christian Democratic Union (CDU), said on X.
Germany should not rule out deploying Bundeswehr troops to Ukraine after the war ends, Roderich Kiesewetter, a lawmaker from the opposition Christian Democratic Union (CDU), said on Jan. 3, Schwäbische Zeitung reported.
The main suspect is 40-year-old Dieter S., a former member of Russian proxy forces in Ukraine who the prosecutors said took pictures of military facilities and planned railway sabotage.
"If a peace agreement is reached and Ukraine needs security guarantees, we can only discuss this if there is a clear mandate under international law. I don’t see it at the moment. I would like such a mandate to be given in consensus with Russia, not in conflict," Friedrich Merz said.
"Almost every month, ships are currently damaging important undersea cables in the Baltic Sea," German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told Funke media group on Dec. 28. "This is an urgent wake-up call for all of us."
Berlin supplied Ukraine with 15 Leopard 1A5 tanks, one short-range and one medium-range IRIS-T air defense system with missiles, two Patriot air defense launchers, and other aid in the latest delivery, the German government said on Dec. 23.
In the interview, Rutte said that Scholz's contributions to Ukraine are commendable. The chancellor ensured that Germany ranks second after the U.S. in military support for Ukraine, something Kyiv could express its gratitude for, Rutte noted.
BMW discovered irregularities that allowed cars to be transferred to Russia from its branch in Hanover, the German automaker said on Dec. 22.
A Ukrainian woman is in serious condition after a car plowed into a crowd at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, on the evening of Dec. 20. The incident has claimed five lives and left over 200 people injured, many of them critically.
Boris Pistorius has come out in favor of a reform of the debt brake in order to increase funding for military defense.
German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall has received an order to supply Ukraine with 20 additional Marder infantry fighting vehicles, the company announced on Dec. 17.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz failed a confidence vote in the Bundestag on Dec. 16, paving the way for early parliamentary elections scheduled for Feb. 23.
"We stand by Chancellor Olaf Scholz's decision not to deliver the Taurus cruise missile from the Bundeswehr's stocks," the SPD program reportedly reads, adding that weapons deliveries should come with "prudence and a sense of proportion."
The Christian Democratic Union (CDU), one of Germany’s leading political parties, has reaffirmed its support for Ukraine as part of its platform in the upcoming German parliament elections, European Pravda reported on Dec. 14.
"I will do it again. But we must not have any illusions about it," German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said, according to Zeit.
German Chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz would closely coordinate the delivery of Taurus missiles to Ukraine with the U.S. and European partners, he said in an interview with Bild on Dec. 9.
Russia’s security services detained a Russian-German citizen for allegedly preparing a sabotage plot against railways, Russian news agency Interfax reported on Dec. 10.
A key difference is that the invitation would encompass the entire Ukraine, but the alliance's defensive "umbrella" would extend to the occupied territories only after their future liberation.
During his meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky, Friedrich Merz, the leading contender to become Germany's next chancellor, condemned the German government's hesitance to provide long-range weaponry like Taurus cruise missiles.
Key developments on Dec. 9: * Zelensky 'may consider' deployment of foreign peacekeepers in Ukraine to ensure ceasefire * Ex-chief of Russian-run Olenivka prison allegedly killed in car bombing in occupied Donetsk * Trump 'formulating a concept' to end Russia-Ukraine war * Russia claims bodies of Il-76 crash victims given to Ukraine, Kyiv says
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