If approved by parliament, the increase in aid would raise Germany's defense spending to 2.1% of GDP target

GermanChancellor Olaf Scholz's ruling coalition has agreed in principle to doublemilitary aid to Ukraine next year to €8 billion ($8.5 billion). Reuters reports this with reference to a politicalsource in Berlin.

"Ifapproved by the parliament, where Scholz's party has a majority, the increasewould raise Germany's defense spending to 2.1% of gross domestic product, whichis higher than the 2% promised by all North Atlantic Treaty Organizationmembers," the source was quoted as saying.

Accordingto the source, lawmakers from Scholz's Social Democrats, Free Democrats and theGreen Party have agreed to increase the number of negotiations on the proposedfederal budget for 2024 before the official meeting of the Bundestag's budgetcommittee - or lower house of parliament - on Thursday, November 16.

Aspokesperson for the German Defense Ministry said the Bundestag committee hadnot concluded negotiations and declined to comment further.

In histurn, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius in an interview with the ARD televisioncompany mentioned the planned doubling of military aid to Ukraine, the authorsadd.

"Thisis a strong signal to Ukraine that we will not leave them in trouble," hesaid, adding that this step, if agreed upon, would mean that the annual budgetallocation would be enough for a whole year.

Thenewspaper adds that the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag also reported that theCommittee should approve an additional 4 billion euros.

"Doublingmilitary spending is right and important," the newspaper quoted MP AndreasSchwarz, who is responsible for the SPD's military budget, as saying.

"Withthis step, we will confirm our promise to Ukraine to provide the necessaryfunds. The fact that we will also be able to fulfill our obligations to NATO isa great success... for the coalition," he said.

Earlier inNovember, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba met with the director of the Rheinmetall defenseconcern Armin Papperger in Berlin.

Accordingto Kuleba, the meeting focused on ways to further strengthen the alliancebetween the German and Ukrainian defense industries.

Later, wereported that the German concern Rheinmetall would produce 100,000 rounds ofmortar ammunition for Ukraine. The company received this order from the Germangovernment.