German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Berlin is set to allocate an additional €3 billion ($3.3 billion) by making changes to its constitution to massively boost defense spending on Tuesday.
Baerbock, speaking before the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels on Monday, March 17, said Berlin would “integrate our security into the Basic Law through an amendment to the Constitution” on Tuesday.
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“Tomorrow, in a historic decision, we will integrate our security into the basic law through an amendment to the Constitution, which comprehensively covers security, strengthens it, provides greater support for Ukraine, and allocates significant additional funds for infrastructure,” Baerbock said, as reported by Ukrainian news outlet Ukrinform.
Baerbock said Berlin would be able to allocate another €3 billion for Ukraine as a result, bringing the total aid for Ukraine in 2025 to €7 billion ($7.6 billion), the same amount as 2024.
“It is also important that in addition to the investments in security and infrastructure provided for in the basic law, we are finally allocating another €3 billion to support Ukraine in 2025. This means that Germany will continue to provide €7 billion to Ukraine, as it did last year,” she said.
“Our goal is a strong and sovereign Ukraine… It is important not only to strengthen our defense capabilities, but also to take a quick and ambitious decision at the level of EU leaders and governments to provide military support,” she added.
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Baerbock’s comments followed Germany’s conservative Chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz’s recent breakthrough with the Greens on a sweeping spending plan that could unleash hundreds of billions of euros for defense and infrastructure.
According to AFP, Merz’s plan would exempt defense spending from debt rules once it exceeds 1% of GDP and create a €500 billion ($544 billion) infrastructure fund.
“The apparent deal with the Greens paves the way for up to €1 trillion ($1.088 trillion) in new spending for defense and infrastructure,” Politico reported.
The spending hike came amidst widespread concern that in the US, President Donald Trump is rolling back Washington’s support for Ukraine and European defense, expecting Europe to safeguard and enforce any peace deals on Ukraine.
“We must now take action to significantly increase our defense capabilities, and we must do so quickly,” Merz told lawmakers.
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