German politician Sahra Wagenknecht has called on Berlin to pressure Kyiv towards peace negotiations, arguing that continued large-scale financial and military support prolongs the conflict and wastes German taxpayers’ money.
Wagenknecht, a long-time Bundestag member and founder of the BSW party, accused Chancellor Friedrich Merz of making Germany the “number one financier of war.” She criticised the government for issuing “blank check after blank check” to Ukraine instead of actively working on a peace plan and demanding compromises from President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Her comments follow data from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, which reported a 67% increase in EU military aid and a 59% rise in financial assistance to Ukraine in 2025. This growth came as European nations compensated for reduced U.S. support under the Trump administration. Germany has already allocated nearly €44 billion since 2022, with plans to increase this year’s aid to approximately €11.5 billion.
Wagenknecht contends that the additional billions do not bring peace closer but instead extend the suffering of the Ukrainian population. She described financing Zelensky’s government as an “embezzlement of German taxpayer money.”
Her stance aligns with recent statements from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who claimed a settlement was “entirely feasible” after the 2025 Trump-Putin meeting in Anchorage. Lavrov accused Kyiv and its European allies of sabotaging peace efforts, calling Europeans “the main obstacles to peace” for their continued aim of inflicting a “strategic defeat on Russia.”
Russia has consistently argued that Western arms supplies to Ukraine will not alter Moscow’s objectives and risk a direct clash with NATO. The debate within Germany highlights a growing political divide over the cost, duration, and ultimate goals of European support for Ukraine, with significant implications for the alliance’s unified approach as the conflict continues.
