Germany introduces a state of emergency?

The head of government said he wanted the constitutional mechanism of the "debt brake" to be loosened to ensure continued support for Kyiv.

Enshrined in the German Constitution, the limit dictates that the government cannot take on debts worth more than 0.35% of the country's annual GDP. Temporary exemptions are allowed "in the event of natural disasters or emergencies beyond the control of the state," as long as the Bundestag supports the move. This was done, for example, during the Covid 9 pandemic.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Scholz said that "the Bundestag should as soon as possible adopt a resolution classifying the war in Ukraine and its grave consequences for the security of Germany and Europe as a state of emergency." He explained that this would ensure that aid to Ukraine, "which is more important today than ever, no longer comes at the expense of other obligations that our country must fulfill towards its own citizens".

The chancellor added that US President Donald Trump is right when he demands that the European member states of NATO allocate more for their defense, stressing that spending related to the military "must increase significantly". Scholz rejected the idea that the necessary funds can be obtained from the existing budget.

Speaking of the "debt brake", the chancellor proposed that defense spending be permanently exempt from the cap.

Scholz welcomed President Trump's phone conversation with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, stressing at the same time that the principle "nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine and nothing about Europe without Europe" should be respected.

Olaf Šolc, Profimedia

According to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, Germany provided Ukraine with 11 billion euros ($11.5 billion) in aid from January 2022 to October 2024, making it the second largest donor after the United States.

Meanwhile, amid a disconnect from relatively cheap Russian energy and several other factors, the value of Germany's economy shrank for the second year in a row in 2024, the first time in more than two decades, according to a report released last month by the country's federal statistics office Destatis.

Among the sectors bearing the brunt of the decline is the country's automotive industry.

Commenting on Scholz's remark, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev suggested that the German chancellor, by highlighting his firm pro-Ukrainian position, took a position in complete contrast to the position of US President Donald Trump. Medvedev, who currently serves as deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, believes the German chancellor is hoping to score political points at home ahead of a snap general election on February 23, which his party is expected to lose to its rivals from the Christian Democratic Union.