Promises in Kyiv, rejection in Berlin. The German CDU and SPD factions have voted against the Green Party’s initiative to allocate an additional €4.5 billion this year to strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses and compensate for the suspended US aid, BILD reports. 

After the US suspended financial support to Kyiv, Germany has become Kyiv’s largest supporter in its struggle against Russia. Berlin has pledged to provide Ukraine with more than €8 billion annually.

A visit to Kyiv – and a refusal in Berlin

Last week, German CDU and SPD leaders Jens Spahn and Matthias Miersch visited Kyiv, where they met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and called the trip “a sign of support.” But back in the budget committee, their factions voted together with the Left Party and AfD against releasing the funds.

German politicians’ arguments

Social Democrat Andreas Schwarz has explained that the proposed billions “could not be spent before the end of the year.”

CDU representative Christian Haase claimed that Berlin had already “delivered everything Ukraine needs” and that he was “unaware” of additional requirements from Kyiv.

This contradicts Zelenskyy’s statement in July, where he stressed that Ukraine needed another €6 billion by year’s end to fully scale production of long-range weapons and FPV drones.

Sharp reaction from the Greens

The decision by governing partners drew outrage within the Greens.

“It is hypocrisy — to promise help in Kyiv on Monday and then on Thursday vote together with the AfD and the Left against further support for a country suffering heavy attacks day and night,” said the party’s budget expert, Sebastian Schäfer.

Ukraine races against an October deadline to secure emergency military funding while international partners debate whether aid restrictions designed to prevent corruption now undermine the war effort itself.

Ekonomichna Pravda (EP) reports that Ukrainian policymakers have three weeks to secure 300 billion hryvnias ($7 billion) in additional defense funding or face military salary disruptions starting in November. This is despite having $6-7 billion in unused civilian aid sitting in government accounts.

The funding gap exposes how current Western aid frameworks create unintended consequences, forcing Ukrainian officials into urgent negotiations with international partners about relaxing restrictions prohibiting financial assistance for military purposes—a policy debate that could reshape how democracies fund wartime allies, according to EP’s analysis.

Ukraine seeks access to frozen Russian assets

EP highlights that Ukrainian officials are now pressing Western partners to lift restrictions on at least portions of financial aid for military use.

While Britain’s portion of approximately $3 billion already allows weapons purchases, Ukraine seeks access to the EU’s roughly $20 billion share for military purposes, EP reports.

Such a change would ease the funding crisis while ending the current system where civilian programs receive surplus funding as military operations face shortfalls.

Time pressure mounts as military salaries are at risk

Without parliamentary approval of budget changes by the end of the month, EP warns that Ukraine will face potential military salary disruptions starting in November.

However, EP notes that parliamentary rejection of proposals to expand government reallocation powers means any major budget shifts require legislative approval—creating democratic accountability while complicating rapid military funding.

The two-budget paradox strains war financing

Ukraine effectively operates separate defense and civilian budgets due to Western aid restrictions.

While international partners have provided $144.7 billion since Russia’s invasion, these funds cannot support military operations, creating structural imbalances even when aid arrives in surplus amounts.

This leaves $6–7 billion in unused foreign funds, explaining Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko’s government’s continued launch of new programs, including expanded “National Cashback” funding—a program that reimburses households for part of their utility spending and also rewards purchases of Ukrainian-made products—and grants for entrepreneurs.

Meanwhile, EP reports that defense requirements consume nearly all domestic tax revenue, yet still fall short by hundreds of billions of hryvnias.

Multiple pressures drive defense spending surge

EP reports that Ukraine increased defense spending by 400 billion hryvnias ($9.7 billion) in July, but officials immediately understood this would not suffice.

Key drivers include accelerated weapons purchases after Donald Trump’s election, when Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council decided to boost ammunition procurement following signals about potential US supply disruptions.

Officials also cite increased one-time death benefits of 15 million hryvnias ($36 480) per fallen soldier, with recent prisoner exchanges returning hundreds of bodies and triggering massive benefit payouts.

Western partners face policy adjustment pressure

The crisis, as outlined by EP, illustrates broader challenges facing Western aid frameworks: balancing oversight requirements with wartime urgency, as Ukrainian officials argue for policy adjustments that better match aid structures to battlefield realities.

Still, they now create situations where partner nations must navigate complex funding streams while facing urgent military requirements.

The debate reveals broader questions about aid architecture for wartime allies, EP concludes, as democracies must balance accountability with the flexibility that active combat operations demand.

Russia flaunts resilience in the face of new US and EU sanctions. The Kremlin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, has openly declared that it is impossible to force Moscow to change its course on Ukraine, Reuters reports. 

Kremlin dismisses Western sanctions

“No sanctions will be able to force the Russian Federation to change its consistent position, which our president has repeatedly voiced,” says Peskov.

The Kremlin’s spokesperson’s words aren’t far from the truth. Despite thousands of sanctions imposed after the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the full-scale invasion in 2022, the Russian economy has stayed afloat.

Russia’s economy even grew by 4.1% in 2023 and 4.3% in 2024. But this year, growth has slowed sharply due to high interest rates and the costs of war. 

Ukraine calls for real security

Meanwhile, Ukrainian presidential sanctions adviser Vladyslav Vlasiuk has calculated that Russia has lost at least $150 billion due to sanctions, yet retains its military potential. The country remains the most sanctioned state in the world. 

At the same time, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stressed that real security guarantees, which can protect Ukraine from Russia, can only come from a strong Ukrainian army backed by support from its Western allies. 

However, as Washington has delayed a new package of military aid to Kyiv, the fighting between Russia and Ukraine is dragging on into a war of attrition for both sides.

Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot has announced his country will provide Ukraine with batch of F-16 fighter jets in coming months, Novini.Live reports. 

Belgium has pledged 30 F-16s by 2028—more than any other single donor. These American-made aircraft symbolize Ukraine’s modernization and its fight to reclaim the skies.

Yet as of mid-2025, none have been delivered. Officially, the delay is due to Belgium’s own transition from F-16s to newer F-35s. 

Ukraine support from Benelux

Prévot’s statements came at the Ukraine–Benelux meeting in Odesa on 26 August with foreign ministers from Belgium, Luxembourg, and a representative from the Netherlands. During the event, the leaders reaffirmed support for Ukraine and emphasized the importance of holding a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression.

Belgium’s contribution: F-16s, drones, and demining

Prévot also said Belgium has trained more than 3,000 Ukrainian military personnel and technicians, provided drones, allocated €20 million to the Ukrainian Grain Initiative, and plans to complete Black Sea demining by 2029.

“I remember the drawings Ukrainian children gave me in Rome. They remind us that this struggle is not just about borders but also the dreams and dignity of a new generation,” Prévot stated.

Joint statement on “grain corridors”

Following the meeting, the officials confirmed in a joint statement:

• Assistance in rebuilding schools, hospitals, and energy infrastructure in Ukraine;
• Financial, military, and humanitarian support “as long as needed”;
• Protection of grain routes in the Black Sea, vital for global food security.