Germany Preparing Winter Aid Package Worth €1.4 Bln for Ukraine For "Protective Shield"
Germany is preparing a "winter aid package" of €1.4 billion for Ukraine to create a defense system against Russian attacks on infrastructure.
The chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz made this announcement during the opening of the 6th German-Ukrainian Economic Forum in Berlin, as reported by BNN.
According to him, Germany is currently working on a winter package with the primary objective of establishing a "protective shield" due to Russia's apparent plans to continue targeting energy and other infrastructure and "using cold as a weapon against civilians." The package is valued at €1.4 billion and includes systems such as Patriot air defence, Iris-T6, and Gepard, among others.
The German Chancellor noted that since the start of the full-scale war, Germany has provided Ukraine with assistance totalling almost €24 billion.
"Civil and military assistance from Germany since the beginning of the conflict has reached €24 billion," Scholz informed, highlighting that Germany is Ukraine's second-largest partner in terms of support, following the United States.
The head of the German government also mentioned that a support package for the energy system amounting to €80 million was approved last week.
Scholz praised Ukraine for sustaining its economy despite the ongoing war and referred to the expected economic growth figures as promising. According to the Chancellor, it is no coincidence that nearly 2,000 German companies are active in Ukraine.
"Those who invest in Ukraine now are investing in a future EU member," the Chancellor said, promising that Germany would support Ukraine on its path to EU membership.
Olaf Scholz also called on German companies to employ Ukrainians, as most of the refugees have a high level of education and are hard-working.
Scholz emphasized that Russian President Vladimir Putin was mistaken not only when he thought he could quickly conquer Ukraine, but also when he believed that Ukraine's partners would grow weary of supporting it.
"We will support Ukraine for as long as necessary. Together with EU partners, G7, and many other countries, we have no doubt about our unity and determination... Ukraine can rely on Germany," the politician assured.
As previously reported by The Gaze, the German defence conglomerate Rheinmetall and "Ukroboronprom" have established a joint venture.
This venture will provide maintenance and repair services for equipment supplied to Ukraine by Western partners. In the future, there are plans to set up joint production of certain types of defence products from Rheinmetall AG in Ukraine.