Concerns are mounting over the level of military aid being provided to Ukraine, prompting a call for increased budgetary allocations from the German government. Jürgen Hardt, a leading figure in the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) responsible for foreign policy, has urged Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil (Social Democratic Party – SPD) to give greater consideration to the funding requests submitted by Defence Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) for the 2026 budget.
Hardt’s statement, conveyed to the “Rheinische Post”, highlights a perceived deterioration in the security landscape since Chancellor Scholz’s pivotal speech in 2022 and subsequent decisions regarding special funds in spring 2025. This follows a recent rejection by Klingbeil of Pistorius’ requests for increased funding directed towards military assistance for Ukraine, citing budgetary constraints.
The call for reassessment comes against the backdrop of escalating tensions, punctuated by recent incidents involving Russian drone activity over Polish and Romanian airspace, both members of the NATO alliance. Hardt emphasized a worrying pattern of escalating actions, drawing parallels to past experiences involving Ukraine and Georgia where boundaries were repeatedly tested in the absence of robust responses.
He characterized the Putin regime as an increasingly aggressive entity, incapable of pursuing peaceful resolutions and operating under its own logic of potential escalation. Hardt underscored the importance of maintaining a strong deterrent presence in Ukraine as the most effective means of navigating the current, challenging phase of European security policy and ensuring a peaceful outcome.
