Germany has stunned Ukraine after announcing a freeze to military aid, as Kyiv’s forces struggle to repel a Russian advance in the Donbas.
Olaf Scholz‘s government claims a budgetary crisis means it can no longer afford to supply Ukraine with new weapons.
However, opponents have accused the German Chancellor of “hypocrisy” and of making a cynical play to win votes in federal elections this autumn.
Scholz reportedly told his Defence Minister Boris Pistorius that no more money for weapons would be forthcoming earlier this month, according to the Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper.
Pistorius had drawn up a wish list for €4billion (£3.4billion) in additional military supplies to Ukraine.
But he was told by the Finance Ministry that the government’s priority had switched to cutting federal spending and that no more money would be forthcoming.
The freeze in military aid will not affect outstanding orders but has already impacted new ones.
After a Russian air strike on a Kyiv children’s hospital in July, Diehl Defence, the arms manufacturer, offered to supply an IRIS-T air defence system to help defend the Ukrainian capital’s airspace.
Scholz, however, reportedly refused to pay for the missile system, despite the deal being backed by his Defence Minister.
The move is said to have caused severe friction inside the German government, with both the defence and foreign ministries opposing the freeze.
The news could not come at a worse time for Kyiv’s army, which is coming under severe pressure in the Donbas, where Russian troops are advancing on the city of Pokrovsk – a strategic road and rail hub.
Ukraine‘s army says it is running short of critical ammunition and spare parts for its German-supplied tanks and armoured vehicles.
On its official website, the German government says it has so far provided or committed for future years military assistance with a value of approximately €28billion (£24bn).
Scholz’s political opponents have accused him of trying to win over voters in Germany’s eastern states, who are opposed to the war in Ukraine.
This September, voters will go to the polls in state elections to elect new regional governments.
Ingo Gädechens, an MP for the centre-Right Christian Democrats, said that Scholz had engaged in an “unprecedented spectacle of hypocrisy” by promising Kyiv unconditional support while trying to pose as a “peace chancellor” at home.
