Berlin dissatisfied with volume of Ukrainian orders and calls on Kyiv to buy more weapons from Germany
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul called on Ukraine to increase purchases of weapons from German defense companies. According to him, Berlin is currently "not entirely satisfied" with the volume of Ukrainian orders in Germany and has already asked the government in Kyiv to review the situation. Wadefuhl said this in an interview with BILD.
The minister argued his position based on the scale of financial and military support Germany provides to Ukraine. According to him, Berlin has become the largest donor to Kyiv in these areas, therefore the German defense industry should also receive orders as part of Ukrainian procurement.
Wadefuhl noted that he raised this issue directly with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his last visit to Ukraine.
"We support you. But I also have to explain this to German taxpayers, and the minimum we expect is that the German defense industry is also involved in all procurement", he said.
According to the foreign minister, Berlin has already asked the Ukrainian government to review the structure of procurement and increase the share of orders in Germany.
€60 billion from EU credit planned for defense
Wadefuhl's statement came amid the rollout of a large-scale European program to finance Ukrainian procurement. As part of the Ukraine Support Loan, the European Union is providing Ukraine with up to €90 billion for 2026-2027. Approximately €30 billion is intended for budget support, and another €60 billion for defense needs and weapons procurement.
The mechanism's rules prioritize defense products from Ukraine, EU countries, and other states that meet established conditions. At the same time, exceptions are allowed if the weapons Ukraine needs are not produced in Europe or cannot be delivered in the required quantity and within the necessary timeframes.
Such exceptions are particularly important for American air defense systems and ammunition for them. Earlier, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte reported that over the past year, allies have directed more than $10 billion to PURL and the American Foreign Military Sales program for Ukraine. Of this amount, $3.5 billion is financed by the Ukraine Support Loan.
European countries themselves buy American weapons for Ukraine
Alongside demands to support their own defense industry, European allies continue to finance purchases of American weapons for Ukraine through the PURL mechanism. Under this program, NATO countries and partners pay for packages of American weapons tailored to Ukraine's needs, after which NATO coordinates their delivery.
Through PURL, Ukraine receives, in particular, critically needed air defense assets and ammunition that American industry can currently produce or supply in larger volumes than European manufacturers.
Germany itself also finances the purchase of American weapons for Ukraine. According to the German Foreign Ministry, Berlin has already allocated about $900 million to PURL, including for American Patriot guided missiles to intercept ballistic targets.
Thus, the European support model for Ukraine currently combines two approaches: increasing orders for Ukrainian and European defense industries and purchasing from the US those systems and ammunition that Europe cannot yet provide quickly in the required quantities.
Based on materials from: BILD
