The German defense and foreign ministers have called for significantly higher financial aid for Ukraine’s military in its effort to defend the country against Russia's invasion.
Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock urged in a letter to Finance Minister Christian Lindner that the $697 million already planned for the 2023 German budget to aid Ukraine’s military be increased to about $2.17 billion.
The letter was seen by the German dpa news agency on October 22.
Berlin has received some criticism by officials in Ukraine and within Germany itself for its refusal to send heavy weapons, such as battle tanks, to Ukraine. Berlin says it wants to coordinate any such moves with its allies.
In a Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung report on October 22, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal asked Germany for further military aid as soon as possible.
Shmyhal said Kyiv is "impatiently" waiting delivery of new ammunition, which is needed "right now."
He also said jammers were needed to counter the "20 to 30 Iranian kamikaze drones" Russia was launching against Ukraine on a daily basis.
The Ukrainian prime minister praised the newly delivered German Iris-T air defense missile system, saying it was in use and has "already saved many, many lives."
He said Russian assets frozen abroad should be used for reconstruction efforts in Ukraine, adding that damage from Moscow's attack so far has come to "more than $750 billion."
Shmyhal is scheduled to meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin on October 24 to open a German-Ukrainian economic forum.
