Russia-Ukraine war: Germany planning to give over Rs 8,000 crore in military aid to Kyiv

As the war between Russia and Ukraine enters its 52nd day, with Ukrainian forces showing tough resilience against incessant missile strikes led by Russian armies and the West imposing more and more sanctions on Moscow, the situation has taken a new turn. On Friday, the German government announced that it is planning on providing more than one billion euros (over Rs 8,252.89 crore) in military aid to war-ravaged Ukraine.

German Finance Minister Christian Lindner confirmed that the government has now decided to increase its international assistance in the defence sector to €2 billion. He stated that a large portion of the funds will be used to assist the Ukrainian military in its fight against Russia. Taking to Twitter, Linder announces, "The funds will largely benefit Ukraine," adding that Chancellor Olaf Scholz had "requested this at an early stage."

Germany vows to cut dependence on Russian gas

In view of Moscow's aggressive military operation against neighbouring Ukraine, the German government has vowed to cut its dependence on Russian natural gas. Notably, Berlin is now looking for ways to boost supplies of LNG from key exporters like Qatar, the United States, and Australia. However, Germany at present has no import terminals to receive the gas, which arrives by ship and a permanent facility would take 3 to 4 years.

The Capability Initiative was launched by the German government in 2016 and the funds have been used in the past to support military, police, and disaster management agencies. But Berlin has decided to increase the size of the initiative due to the war in Ukraine. So far, Germany has provided war-hit Ukraine with military supplies, including anti-aircraft rockets, machine guns, and ammunition.

Russia-Ukraine war

The Russia-Ukraine war continues to intensify, with Ukrainian armed forces claiming that Russian forces are focused on the regrouping and strengthening of troops, continuing the partial blockade of the city of Kharkiv and its shelling with artillery. For the first time since the war started, Ukraine has released data that it has lost 3000 soldiers in seven weeks.

On the other hand, Russia has warned the United States and its allies of "unpredictable consequences" over weapons aid to Ukraine.

(Image: AP)