German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Wednesday that Europe must continue to step up its help for Ukraine even after the approval of a big U.S. aid package, but made clear that he's sticking to his refusal to send Taurus long-range cruise missiles to Kyiv.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, right, and Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak give a joint press conference at the Chancellery in Berlin, Wednesday April 24, 2024.

Scholz spoke after meeting British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in Berlin. The two countries are Europe's biggest suppliers of military assistance to Ukraine as it counters Russia's full-scale invasion, and both vowed to keep that up “for as long as it takes.”

Ukraine's cause was boosted this week by the approval in Congress of a $61 billion U.S. military aid package that had been held up for months. Scholz described it as “an encouraging and necessary signal.”

“But I also want to say clearly that the United States' decision doesn't release us here in Europe from the task of further expanding our support for Ukraine so that the country can defend itself against the aggressor,” he said.

Scholz, whose country recently pledged to supply a third Patriot missile battery to Ukraine, appealed again for other European countries that have the system to examine whether they can spare one.

Still, asked whether he will reverse his often-criticized refusal to send Taurus missiles, Scholz listed at length the military hardware Germany has provided and added: “As far as the weapons system you mention is concerned, my decision won't change.”

Scholz has argued that Taurus missiles could only be used responsibly with the involvement of German soldiers, whether inside or outside Ukraine, and says that is a line he doesn't want to cross.

Sunak, who on Tuesday pledged new military aid to Ukraine, praised Germany's efforts on air defense in particular and said “every country has got different things that it can bring to the table.”

Ukrainian troops have faced acute shortages of shells and air defense systems, allowing Russian forces to edge forward in some parts of eastern Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pleaded for greater international assistance, warning that his country will lose the war without it.

Sunak, Scholz Find Common Cause to Support Each Other on Defense

UK-German ties appeared under strain as recently as last month, with British officials lobbying Berlin to send Ukraine more long-range missiles. On Wednesday, there was little sign of such tension as Chancellor Olaf Scholz hosted Rishi Sunak on his first trip to Germany as prime minister.

During a visit in which Sunak was feted with military honors and greeted his German host as mein Freund, the two leaders went out of their way to show a united front in Europe’s effort to reverse Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and bolster its own security. They talked enthusiastically about shared football stars and pledged to collaborate on “remote-controlled howitzer 155mm wheeled artillery systems.”

“At this dangerous moment, the bond between our two nations is stronger than ever,” Sunak told reporters at a joint news conference in Berlin. Scholz said the two countries “have a long shared history” and “a similar view of the world.” He also talked of “fond memories” of working with Sunak when the two men were finance ministers of their respective nations.

The meeting between Europe’s two top providers of military aid to Ukraine was timely for both men, who are under pressure at home and abroad to show the continent is doing its part to defend NATO. Donald Trump’s renewed criticism of European defense spending during his campaign for a return to the White House has rekindled concerns about US commitment to support.

Both leaders have struggled to maintain strength on defense while weathering tepid support in the polls. In Britain, Sunak has been accused of of not spending enough to ensure the UK military is ready for any future conflict with China and Russia. Scholz, meanwhile, has faced calls to provide Ukraine with more powerful weapons systems, including from the UK, which has privately urged Germany to send the country its long-range Taurus missiles.

In February, Sunak’s former defense secretary, Ben Wallace, dismissed Scholz as “the wrong man, in the wrong job, at the wrong time.”

While Scholz doubled down on Wednesday on his insistence that he wouldn’t send the Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine, the two men highlighted things they did agree on. Those included plans for joint procurement of weapons systems such the Boxer armored fighting vehicle and collaboration on multinational air-defense projects, such as the German-led European Sky Shield Initiative and the Diamond Initiative.

“Europe has massively expanded its efforts for defense, we’re witnessing the emergence of a very strong European army for defense, and this is needed so that we can jointly defend our NATO territory,” Scholz said after talks with Sunak.

Sunak, for his own part, declined to criticize the Taurus decision, instead suggesting that different countries have “different capabilities” in terms of what they can offer to counter Russia. The two leaders “talked about the importance of getting air defense to Ukraine,” Sunak said, in reference to what has been a key German ask of its allies in recent weeks.

The UK earlier this week announced it would send more Storm Shadow long-range missiles to Ukraine as part of its single biggest military aid package to the country since the invasion. Germany, meanwhile, last week announced it would send a third Patriot anti-missile system to Ukraine, together with more Iris-T and other air defense gear.

Sunak fell back on football — an arena of competition between England and Germany since they were on opposite sides of two world wars — to find common ground. “The thing that really unites us is our people: The love that Liverpool has for Jurgen Klopp or the love that Munich has for Harry Kane,” the premier said, referring to the German manager of the English club, and the England captain who plays his football in the German Bundesliga.

The UK and Germany have a shared interest in making sure American support continues after President Joe Biden’s bruising months-long battle to secure passage this week of more than $60 billion of security aid for Ukraine.

The government in Berlin is pushing the US to provide at least one more Patriot anti-missile system to Ukraine to help close the air-defense gap, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday. Scholz’s pressure campaign aimed at its transatlantic ally is part of a coordinated effort to get NATO and European Union partners to step up assistance on air defense.

Germany’s prodding is something of a role reversal for Scholz, whose government was often pilloried at the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion for dragging its feet on weapons deliveries. Still, Scholz has argued that sending Taurus missiles to Kyiv could make Germany a direct party to the war.

The British prime minister struck a conciliatory tone when asked about Trump’s commitment to NATO. “US presidents have always called for more European defense spending,” Sunak said, characterizing Trump’s demands as “not new.” Europe cannot expect America to “pay any price” if it wasn’t willing to do the same, he added.

Sunak to challenge Nato countries to match 2.5pc defence spending

The Prime Minister has announced that Britain will ramp up defence spending to £87 billion a year by the start of the 2030s 

Rishi Sunak will use a summit to mark the 75th anniversary of NATO to lobby European countries to match Britain’s pledge to spend 2.5 per cent of national wealth on defence.

The Prime Minister will tell countries on the continent, including France and Germany, that they must dramatically increase their military budgets by the end of the decade.

Leaders from the 32-country alliance will gather in Washington DC in July against the backdrop of Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine and Iran’s aggression against Israel.

Mr Sunak was in Berlin on Wednesday for talks with Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, who has come under fire for refusing Kyiv’s request for long-range Taurus missiles.

The Prime Minister has announced that Britain will ramp up defence spending to £87 billion a year by the start of the 2030s, which will amount to 2.5pc of total GDP.

His commitment will see the UK spend a cumulative extra £75bn on the military over the next six years, making it by far the biggest spender in Europe as things stand.

He has said the pledge should set a new benchmark for all countries in NATO and especially those in Europe, who he said must do more to fund their own defence.

Grant Shapps, the Defence Secretary, told broadcasters on Wednesday that the Prime Minister would be personally lobbying other leaders at the July summit.

“We’re now saying we think that should be 2.5%. We think in a more dangerous world that would make sense,” he told Sky News.

“I will be arguing that, and I know that the Prime Minister feels strongly about it, when we go to the Nato 75th anniversary summit which is in Washington DC.”

Mr Shapps defended plans to fund the increase in spending by cutting the civil service back to pre-Brexit levels, reducing the Whitehall headcount by 70,000.

Number one priority

He said the proposal showed that “defence of the realm is the absolute number one priority” and that it “comes before everything else”.

“If we don’t defend the nation, then everything else becomes slightly less of an issue,” he said.

The current Nato target for defence spending is set at 2pc of GDP, although only 11 members of the alliance met that goal in 2023.

France only spent 1.9pc of GDP on defence last year, according to NATO figures, while Germany only committed 1.6pc of national wealth.

Poland devoted the biggest proportion to defence at 3.9pc – a number which has dramatically increased over the last decade as the threat from Russia has grown.

The United States was second on 3.5pc with Donald Trump, who is running for US President again, warning that it can no longer continue to bankroll European defence.

In February he claimed he would let Russia do “whatever the hell they want” to Nato members who fail to hit the Nato spending target of 2pc of GDP.

Britain was 10th on the list with just over 2pc, although updated figures show the UK is set to spend slightly more than 2.3pc this year after aid to Ukraine was increased.

The UK Government wants that benchmark to increase to 2.5%, which would add £140 billion to the Nato budget if met by all 32 members.

Mr Sunak said on Tuesday that his 2030 pledge would be a “turning point in European security” which would see the continent take on more responsibility for its own security.

In a pointed message to European allies he added: “And I’m confident that, whether in months or years, others will follow, too.”

Rishi Sunak to pledge more money to support Ukraine

The PM has arrived in Poland to meet Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and the secretary general of the Nato defence alliance - and promise more money to support Ukraine.

The UK will provide an additional £500m to Kyiv on top of the £2.5bn allocated for this financial year.

Rishi Sunak wants to emphasise the UK's role in defending Ukraine.

Mr Sunak will then head to Berlin to meet the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday.

Europe confronts an "expansionist Russia" and Ukraine faces a "difficult summer", Downing Street says.

"Defending Ukraine against Russia's brutal ambitions is vital for our security and for all of Europe.

"If Putin is allowed to succeed in this war of aggression, he will not stop at the Polish border," Mr Sunak said.

Ukraine and Poland share a 300-mile border.

Poland also has a 130-mile land frontier with Russia itself - with Kaliningrad, the chunk of Russia, its exclave on the Baltic Sea.

The focus from Mr Sunak is the extra support for Ukraine and so he will argue for Europe as a whole: more ammunition, air defences, drones and engineering support.

In what it is billing as it largest-ever single delivery of equipment, the UK is sending more than 1,600 strike and air defence missiles, and additional Storm Shadow long-range missiles.

There will also be more than 400 vehicles, including 162 armoured vehicles, 60 boats, including offshore raiding craft, and nearly four million rounds of ammunition.

The additional £500m in funding for this year would also be put towards drones made in the UK, Downing Street said.

As well as meeting Mr Tusk, who used to be one of the European Union's most senior figures, and Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg, the UK will offer to deploy an RAF squadron to carry out policing of Poland's skies for Nato next year.

It is another reminder that alongside war in the Middle East, war continues in Europe too.

And conversation about it will continue on Wednesday in Berlin, when Mr Sunak meets the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

The US House of Representatives has finally approved billions of dollars in new US military aid for Ukraine.

The much-delayed measure had vocal opponents in Congress and it took a bipartisan deal to get the $61bn (£49bn) package through. It will now go to the Senate, which is expected to pass it within the next few days before President Joe Biden signs it into law.

And following a Nato-Ukraine summit last week, Mr Stoltenberg said Nato will give Ukraine more advanced air defences after urgent Kyiv pleas and deadly Russian attacks.