BRUSSELS: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has called for increased funding to support Ukraine through the winter and into next year, warning that Russia’s attacks are becoming more brutal and that the war threatens Europe’s wider political order.
Speaking ahead of the European Council summit in Brussels, Merz said he had seen the situation in Ukraine firsthand during a visit to Kyiv and believed European countries needed to maintain their support.
“We are witnessing an increasingly brutal wave of attacks from Russia against Ukraine,” he said.
The Global Envoy‘s Rohan Dua was present at EU Council’s two-day Oct 15-16 summit in Brussels.
Merz said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would meet European leaders the following day and stressed the need for continued assistance.
“I have called for us to continue helping Ukraine through the winter and into next year. We must increase funding to continue supporting Ukraine,” he said.
The German chancellor framed the support for Kyiv as a matter extending beyond Ukraine’s own territorial integrity to the security and political foundations of Europe.
“It is my firm belief that we are not only defending Ukraine’s territorial integrity, but also the political order of Europe, which is under pressure from Russia in every respect,” he said.
His remarks come as European governments debate how to sustain financial and other assistance to Ukraine while also addressing their own defence needs and the future of the EU budget.
For Merz, continued support for Ukraine is among the priorities that Europe must fund even as member states disagree over the size of the bloc’s next long-term financial framework.
The German chancellor has identified competitiveness and defence as central priorities for the European Union, arguing that Europe must remain capable of acting and become more sovereign.
His call for additional funding for Ukraine underscores the connection he sees between the war, European security and the bloc’s ability to respond to geopolitical challenges.
