Germany, engaged in a major increase in its defense investments, is ready to partially compensate for the suspension of US military aid to Ukraine, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said today.
"An important topic of our discussions today and in the coming weeks will be compensation for the suspension" of US aid, Pistorius said at a joint news conference with his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov.
Pistorius added that Germany will try to compensate for the suspension of aid with new aid, at least one, and a large part of it.
Germany is Kiev's second-largest supplier of military equipment after the United States, including anti-aircraft systems, ammunition and battle tanks.
Germany has also taken in more than a million Ukrainian refugees since the Russian invasion more than three years ago.
Washington, which has openly approached the Kremlin, froze its military aid on Monday. This despite multiple gestures of appeasement to Ukraine after a verbal clash with Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday at the White House, where Donald Trump threatened to "abandon" him.
"There are no signs from (Russian President Vladimir) Putin" towards peace, Pistorius said, adding that Berlin remained "on the side of Ukraine, even more than before."
Future German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced on Tuesday evening huge investments in the country's rearmament and infrastructure, in addition to a proposed three billion euro aid package for Ukraine.
Pistorius said the sophisticated Taurus missiles, which outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz had refused to deliver, were "part of the conversation" and would continue to be part of it in the coming days.
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