Germany restricts military aid to Ukraine, calls on Israel to end violence and protect Palestinians

German media on August 17 said that due to austerity measures, the German government was forced to limit military aid to Ukraine.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba (right) and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock at a joint press conference after talks in Kiev on September 11, 2023. (Source: Reuters)

According to the current federal government budget plan, there are currently no new budget sources for military aid to Ukraine.

This means that previously approved aid will still be delivered to Kiev, but new requests for aid in weapons and military equipment from the German Defense Ministry will no longer be approved.

This information was confirmed by German Finance Minister Christian Lindner in a letter to Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.

The German Bundestag Budget Committee has also confirmed this. According to MEP Andreas Schwarz, a member of the Budget Committee, there are currently “no new orders for weapons for Ukraine” because there are no new sources of funding.

For Ukraine, the situation could soon get worse as Germany's planned military aid to the country is expected to be cut by almost half next year and by 2027 to less than a tenth of its current amount.

In another development, on August 16, Berlin called on the Israeli government to take necessary measures to prevent increased violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank.

In a statement on August 16, the German Foreign Ministry stated: “We condemn the violent actions of extremist settlers who attacked and set fire to a Palestinian village in the West Bank on August 15...

This violence is unacceptable and the attacks must stop immediately. Palestinians have the right to live in safety. Israel has an obligation to protect Palestinians in the West Bank, to stop these attacks and to prosecute the perpetrators.”

Illegal Israeli settlers fired live ammunition, threw stones at vehicles and attacked several Palestinian families and farmers and their homes.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/duc-han-che-vien-tro-quan-su-cho-ukraine-keu-goi-israel-cham-dut-bao-luc-va-bao-ve-nguoi-palestine-282978.html