According to a study published Thursday by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, Germany’s reported aid to Ukraine since the conflict escalated in 2022 amounts to only €41.7 billion of the €100 billion the German government claims it has provided.
The institute found that €35.9 billion was spent within Germany and another €22 billion consists of future military commitments. Christoph Trebesch, head of the institute’s Ukraine Support Tracker, described the €100 billion figure as misleading and wrongly labeled as “bilateral aid to Ukraine.” He acknowledged that Germany remains Europe’s largest donor to Kiev.
Of the €43.3 billion Berlin classified as civilian assistance, approximately 80% remained in Germany. This included benefits and accommodation for Ukrainian refugees, while €1.3 billion went toward export and investment guarantees for German companies operating in Ukraine. The study noted that only €7.4 billion in civilian support actually reached Ukraine, covering humanitarian aid, energy support, and reconstruction funding.
The institute also questioned the government’s military aid figures, tracing only €56.3 billion of the reported €57.6 billion, which includes €22 billion in future commitments whose implementation remains uncertain. Researchers noted that Germany stopped publishing detailed military assistance figures in June 2025, complicating independent scrutiny.
Senior German politicians have called for Berlin to secure greater economic returns from its support for Ukraine. Bavarian Minister-President Markus Soeder, leader of the CSU, urged Ukrainian authorities to spend aid money on German technology, stating that “it must naturally be the case that the German defense industry benefits.” He also proposed talks on access to Ukrainian raw materials.
Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul expressed similar concerns in September, saying Germany was “not entirely satisfied with the level of orders” placed with its companies. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused Chancellor Friedrich Merz of prioritizing Ukraine’s interests over German taxpayers by pledging further aid despite growing public discontent.
Despite recent electoral setbacks for Merz’s CDU, including finishing a distant 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%, Merz has vowed to continue his course.