Germany’s Scholz urges US, EU to ramp up Ukraine aid

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged the West to increase aid for Ukraine and send “a clear signal” to Russian President Vladimir Putin, shortly before departing on a 24-hour trip to Washington D.C., where billions of dollars in military assistance for Kyiv are gridlocked in Congress.

"What is needed now is for us to work together to give Ukraine the opportunity to defend itself and at the same time send a very clear signal to the Russian president," Scholz told reporters. "The signal is namely that he cannot count on our support waning, but that it will last long enough and it will be big enough."

During his trip to the American capital, Scholz is scheduled to meet U.S. lawmakers on Thursday evening. He will meet President Joe Biden on Friday afternoon for talks on the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.

Speaking of the trip, Scholz said it was happening “at a very special moment.”

“The issue now is how Europe, but also the United States, can consolidate support for Ukraine,” he said. “This is necessary because the Russian war of aggression is still being waged with great severity. It is leading to great destruction in Ukraine.”

Nearly two years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, financial support for Kyiv is drying up. While the EU recently approved €50 billion in aid to Ukraine, the U.S. has hesitated to dole out more cash.

After months of negotiations, Republican senators on Wednesday blocked a $118 billion bipartisan package that included $60 billion in military assistance for Kyiv.

U.S. President Joe Biden has been urging Congress to push through the funding for Ukraine, which has been stalled for months amid Republican disagreements over border policy. Former President Donald Trump had encouraged lawmakers to reject the bill.

The Senate is planning another vote on Thursday to advance a bill that only includes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, without the border security provisions. If Washington fails to pull through for Kyiv, German and other European leaders fear they will be left to support Ukraine on their own.

“The support and what has been promised so far, what has been promised in Europe, and through the decisions of the American Congress, is still not enough," said Scholz. "So we have to find a way to do more together.”

Since Russia invaded Ukraine nearly two years ago, the U.S. has been the largest provider of military aid to Kyiv by a wide margin, followed by Germany. Scholz emphasized this on Thursday.

“Germany has made a very large contribution with the decisions for the budget for 2024 and the commitments we have made for the coming years,” he said. “But it will not be enough on its own if support is not forthcoming everywhere. And now is the time to do that.”