Russian invasion: Pistorius “still optimistic” about additional Ukraine aid

Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has assured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of Germany’s support beyond the federal election on February 23rd. Regardless of the government constellation, this support will remain steadfast, reliable and determined, said the SPD politician during a visit to Kiev.

Pistorius expressed the expectation that there would be a solution in ongoing negotiations in Germany about further aid for Ukraine worth three billion euros. He pointed out that there was no budget for 2025 after the traffic light coalition broke up.

“This is a fiscal problem and we have to solve it. We are working on it,” he said. And: “I am still optimistic that we will find a solution.” The Green Party candidate for chancellor Robert Habeck also believes that additional billions in aid for Ukraine are necessary. Like FDP leader Christian Lindner, he wants to finance it through an unscheduled expenditure, which can only take place in the event of an “unforeseen and unavoidable need”.

An example of such an issue was emergency aid for flood victims in 2013 after severe flooding in parts of Germany. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) called for the debt brake to be suspended for the additional three billion in the traffic light budget negotiations, but the FDP rejected this. The dispute resulted in the breakup of the traffic light coalition.

Zelensky once again thanked Germany for the military aid it provided. Germany alone gave Ukraine around 16 percent of the total aid its country received. “16 percent – these are very serious figures,” he said, mentioning in particular the delivery of air defense systems.

Pistorius: Cooperation between Europe and USA necessary

According to Pistorius, in order to successfully defend itself against Russia, Ukraine depends on Europe and the new US government under Donald Trump continuing to work closely together. Then the country has a real chance, with the support of the West, to “come to sensible negotiations at some point during the year on an equal footing,” said the SPD politician. Regarding the course of the war and the Ukrainian armed forces, he said: “They are fighting extremely courageously. And thank God the material deliveries are not stopping either.”

The day before, Germany had agreed in Warsaw with four European NATO partners (“Group of Five”) to expand arms cooperation with Ukraine. This is intended to be an additional way to strengthen the defensive fight. His program in Kiev included discussions with representatives of the Ukrainian government and industry.

Is Trump dropping Ukraine?

Before Trump takes office in the USA, scheduled for January 20th, it is unclear what will happen next with Western support for Ukraine. Trump had repeatedly promised a conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin to quickly end the war in Ukraine, but without his European allies being fully aware of his proposals – at least as far as was publicly known. There are fears in Ukraine that Trump could drastically reduce US aid and thus cause a defeat for Kiev.

He wanted to send a clear signal “a week before American President Trump takes office that we in Europe, that the NATO partners are on Ukraine’s side, especially now in a particularly tense situation situation,” said Pistorius.

Germany stands on Ukraine’s side

The danger of Ukraine’s defeat is “not significantly greater than it was a year ago,” said Pistorius. “The crucial difference is that, of course, Putin is currently trying to make up as much ground as possible before January 20th in the possible anticipation of the ceasefire negotiations that he will impose.”

Germany continues to stand by Ukraine. The fact that there are still six weeks of election campaign in Germany does not change the fact that “here is a large European country fighting for its survival and for its freedom.” Russian troops invaded the neighboring country in February 2022.

The needs of Ukraine’s struggle continue to grow

At the beginning of the year it was reported in Kiev that Russia had conquered almost 3,600 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory last year – an area almost 1.5 times the size of Saarland. Ukraine suffered the highest territorial losses of 610 square kilometers in November, when the Russians occupied around 20 square kilometers every day. The losses in 2024 are multiples of the previous year. What is striking is that Kiev’s territorial losses increased significantly after its own summer offensive and the conquests in the western Russian region of Kursk.

At the same time, war weariness is spreading and the number of Ukrainian deserters is rising rapidly. According to statistics from the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office, over 22,000 cases of desertion were registered in 2024. In addition, there are more than 62,000 cases of unauthorized absence from the force. Compared to the previous year, this represents an almost threefold increase in the number of deserters and an almost fourfold increase in the number of unauthorized absences. In total, almost 120,000 cases of desertion have been registered since the outbreak of war. Observers assume that the number of unreported cases is high.