Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has brought immeasurable suffering to millions of people. The war is directly affecting not only Ukrainian soldiers who are defending their homeland and Europe’s security on the front lines, but also the civilian population, including elderly people, women and children. The Russian armed forces’ targeted attacks on non-military targets such as civilian infrastructure, including power plants that produce heat and electricity, and the water supply, are particularly perfidious. Russia is thereby attempting to wear down the people in Ukraine and deprive them of what they need to live. This is why the German Government is giving top priority to providing swift and targeted assistance to the Ukrainians.

For Ukraine to protect itself and defend our peace in Europe, the German Government has since the start of the war made available 47.8 billion euro (as of 31 March 2025) in bilateral support for Ukraine; this aid includes the critical area of air defence, substantial winter assistance programmes and energy assistance, help for those who have fled Ukraine or been displaced within the country, humanitarian assistance, mine clearance operations and assistance with efforts to investigate war crimes. Furthermore, Ukraine and Germany signed a bilateral agreement on security cooperation on 16 February 2024.

For a regularly updated overview of bilateral support, click here .

Military support for Ukraine

Ukraine must be able to defend itself against Russia’s war of aggression, which violates international law. Germany is therefore supporting Ukraine by supplying arms and equipment, from its Bundeswehr stockpiles and from defence industry deliveries that are paid for out of the German budget. When providing this assistance, the German Government tailors its aid to the needs of Ukraine and continuously explores where it would be useful and possible to step up its assistance, e.g. with regard to air defence. To date, German assistance has included three PATRIOT systems, six IRIS-T SLM and five IRIS-T SLS air defence systems, and 60 Gepard self-propelled armoured air defence gun systems including more than 300,000 ammunition rounds.

In the EU, agreement was reached on the establishment of European Peace Facility (EPF) support measures for the armed forces of Ukraine to the tune of 5.5 billion euro. These measures take the form of a refinancing mechanism for equipment supplied on a bilateral basis and repair services provided by the EU Member States. Member States contribute to this on the basis of a cost share formula that reflects their respective gross national income. Germany’s contribution for the years 2022-2027 amounts to approximately 1.4 billion euro. Mandatory contributions totalling 506 million euro have already been paid. In March 2024, a decision was taken to establish the Ukraine Assistance Fund within the EPF, and the target for its initial volume was set at an additional 5 billion euro by the year 2027.

For a current overview of military support click here .

Political support and peace efforts

We are convinced that, for there to be sustainable peace, Ukraine must be strong. For this, our lasting support is crucial. Together with our partners, we have been making every effort to bring about peace through a diplomatic agreement. We are discussing issues relating to a ceasefire, security in the Black Sea, reconstruction and the prosecution of Russian war crimes in a number of international forums – be it in the UN, NATO, the G7, the EU or the Berlin format. President Zelensky has regularly stressed that Ukraine is willing to negotiate and to that end, back in November 2022, presented a Peace Formula for a lasting and just peace, based on international law. The peace process is however also dependent on Russia’s willingness to negotiate. What we observe though is that Russia continues to make maximum demands while continuing and even intensifying its attacks on Ukraine. We are therefore maintaining our support for Ukraine, because we believe that peace cannot be reached without consulting the Ukrainians. Germany and Europe are ready to play their part in this endeavour.

Humanitarian assistance, support for the energy sector and winter relief

As the second-largest donor worldwide and the largest donor in the EU, the Federal Foreign Office provides humanitarian assistance to humanitarian partner organisations in Ukraine and Ukraine’s neighbouring countries, to alleviate the severe suffering of the population caused by Russia’s war of aggression. Since February 2022, the Federal Foreign Office has made available a total of more than 1.4 billion euro in humanitarian assistance, thereby helping Ukraine through three cold winters.

Alongside our partners, we are also providing assistance to those who had to stay behind near the front lines – such as the elderly, the seriously ill and people with disabilities – as well as to internally displaced persons all across Ukraine. We are placing a special focus on mental and psychosocial support for Ukrainians, as well as assistance in the case of gender-based and sexual violence, and as regards the return and reintegration of abducted Ukrainian children.

Another priority of our support is the Ukrainian energy sector, which is the focus of Russian attacks. Germany is the largest bilateral donor to the Ukraine Energy Support Fund of the Energy Community, a European organisation. One area in which the German Government is providing support is emergency energy assistance – thereby ensuring that the population is supplied with electricity, heat and water. This includes repairs, additional capacity for electricity generation and protecting the infrastructure. In addition, we are also working with our Ukrainian partners to rebuild the energy infrastructure in a decentralised, environmentally-friendly way, with a focus on energy efficiency and the expansion of renewable energy.

Additional funding of support through windfall profits and G7 loans

In reaction to Russia’s attack on Ukraine violating international law, assets of the Russian state in the EU were immobilised. It is clear that Russia will have to pay for the damage it has caused in Ukraine with its war. The UN General Assembly emphatically reaffirmed this duty based on the principle of state responsibility recognised under customary international law in a resolution adopted on 14 November 2022.

Furthermore, the G7 Heads of State and Government agreed back at the G7 Summit in Hiroshima in 2023 to release immobilised assets only once Russia has paid for the damage in Ukraine. In the meantime, the EU has agreed on a regulation to skim off the windfall profits of the central securities depositories. The regulation on windfall profits adopted by the EU has a solid foundation in EU law and is in accordance with international law. On the basis of this, the G7 announced on 25 October 2024 that it had agreed to make available to Ukraine a loan totalling around 45 billion euro (50 billion US dollars) using the windfall profits..

Documenting war crimes

In its war of aggression against Ukraine, Russia is also severely violating international humanitarian law and committing massive human rights abuses in Ukraine, such as the killing and torture of prisoners of war and civilians. The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has promptly initiated investigations. Germany is supporting these investigations, both financially and by seconding experts. The German Government is also assisting the Ukrainian authorities in the collection of evidence, for example by supplying forensic equipment.

Germany supports the Register of Damage for Ukraine established by the Council of Europe to prepare reparation claims based on damage caused by the Russian war of aggression. The Register has its seat in The Hague and took up its work at the beginning of February 2024. Germany provides financial support – so far, approximately one million euro – and has seconded one expert to assist in its work. In mid-December 2024, the Register issued its first decision: 832 submitted residential property claims for loss or damage were declared to be justified and officially recorded in the Register. Negotiations are currently under way on the establishment of a Claims Commission for Ukraine, which would review the registered claims and determine the amount of compensation sought. Germany argues that the violations of international law committed as part of the Russian war of aggression should not go unpunished and therefore also supports the establishment of a special tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine.

An unprecedented sanctions regime

For as long as Russia continues to brutally attack Ukraine, there must be consequences. Germany and its European partners have responded by imposing massive and unprecedented sanctions, i.e., by restricting Russian access to capital markets, imposing substantial export bans, especially in the spheres of advanced technology, industry and energy infrastructure, placing a price cap on Russian oil exports to third countries, imposing wide-ranging import bans, e.g. on coal, oil, iron and steel products as well as gold and diamonds from Russia, taking tough measures targeting Russia’s aviation sector, and directly sanctioning Russia’s President Putin, Foreign Minister Lavrov, further political and military decision-makers, war criminals, propagandists and the network of oligarchs that supports them. EU sanctions also target Russia’s shadow fleet and its networks of third countries for circumventing sanctions, so that Russia’s income and supply with goods needed for the war are further curtailed.
For more on the sanctions that are currently in effect, click here.

Reconstruction

The German Government, together with Ukraine and our partners in the EU and the G7, is already beginning to plan how Ukraine can rebuild. In December 2022, the G7 and Ukraine agreed to establish an international Donor Coordination Platform for the country’s reconstruction. Although reconstruction will require significant international efforts, it also presents a great opportunity to invest in Ukraine’s future, and in so doing, to modernise the state and the economy, bring about ecological transformation and, not least, to implement national reforms and make progress towards EU accession.

On 11 and 12 June 2024, Germany and Ukraine co-hosted an international gathering in Berlin, the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC 2024). After Lugano in 2022 and London in 2023, this was the first URC to be held in an EU Member State since the start of the war of aggression. More than 3400 participants from 60 countries met under the conference heading “United in defence. United in recovery. Stronger together” and showed their support for Ukraine not least by signing 110 agreements and treaties.

A detailed list of conference outcomes and the Co-Chairs’ Statement of the German and Ukrainian Governments can be found here.

Tremendous willingness to help

Many people in Germany have great sympathy for the fate of the people in Ukraine, and the tremendous willingness to help is also reflected in civil society. The large number of donated items has resulted in aid organisations needing to do a significant amount of coordination work. The German Government therefore supports the appeal to refrain from donating items and whenever possible to donate money to established aid organisations instead. Donations can be made via Aktion Deutschland Hilft and the Disaster Relief Alliance („Aktionsbündnis Katastrophenhilfe“). By adding the subject „Nothilfe Ukraine“ (emergency aid for Ukraine) to bank transfers, the money will be spent on relief measures for people in Ukraine.

You can find more information on help for refugees in Ukraine and Germany here.