The German government has said that its assistance to Ukraine totalled EUR 12.5 billion as of December, but this figure "includes both declared and actual support” as well as funding for some of Ukraine’s neighbours, according to Poland's Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW).
The Polish think tank carried out an in-depth analysis of the German figures in a recent study, entitled German Support for Ukraine: Taking the Communications Initiative, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s polskieradio24.pl website reported on Wednesday.
'Planned deliveries that have not yet happened'
The OSW’s Kamil Frymark, the author of the study, told reporters: “For several months now, Germany has gone on a communications offensive, portraying itself as Europe’s leader in helping Ukraine. Germany’s assistance is significant and puts Berlin among Europe’s biggest donors to Ukraine. However, there is a discrepancy between the official figure, which now totals EUR 14 billion, according to Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s recent comments in the Bundestag, and the funds that have actually reached Ukraine.”
He added: “For instance, official estimates include planned deliveries that have not yet happened.”
“Another issue is what qualifies as German assistance for Ukraine,” Frymark said.
Aid to Moldova, Romania
Frymark claimed in his report that “the German government’s assistance to Ukraine also includes some funds provided to Ukraine’s neighbours (including Moldova, Romania and the Eastern Partnership countries) in the very broad context of the ongoing war (for example, the sum of EUR 11.2 million in support for democratisation and stabilisation in the neighbouring countries, as well as media monitoring in Romania)."
He said: "The provision of assistance to selected Russian NGOs, which also qualifies as support for Kyiv, is another special case.”
Scholz 'seeks to reassure' Germans that Berlin 'leads way' in helping Ukraine
Frymark added: “Chancellor Scholz seeks to reassure the German public that Berlin’s involvement goes beyond military issues, which are controversial in Germany. The biggest share of bilateral assistance, 56 percent of the EUR 12.5 billion declared in late December, has been allocated to support war refugees inside Germany.”
Frymark also argued that "the German government wants to demonstrate that it is 'in the same league' as the US and UK when it comes to assistance for Ukraine."
He said: "The big scale of support provided to Ukraine by the countries of eastern Europe, including Poland, is also a factor here.”
“Beyond this, the German government hopes that by demonstrating its huge involvement in helping Kyiv, it will defuse some of the international pressure on Germany to step up its assistance, especially in military matters," Frymark told reporters.
He concluded: “The priority is to reassure the German public that their country leads the way in assistance to Ukraine. Criticisms of the official methodology or of classifying certain initiatives as support for Ukraine do not reach ordinary Germans. At the same time, the majority of Germans are still in favour of supporting Ukraine.”
Wednesday is day 378 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
(pm/gs)
Source: polskieradio24.pl, osw.waw.pl/en