German Chancellor Merz says U.S. no longer pays for Ukraine’s weapons, says Europe is carrying the burden on its own

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the United States is no longer financing weapons and equipment for Ukraine and argued that Europe has shown it can sustain Kyiv’s defense largely on its own.

“The U.S. are no longer contributing to the defense of Ukraine in terms of paying for weapons and for equipment,” Merz said.

He said European countries have increasingly taken over that role over the past two years.

“So this shows that we are able to do that on our own,” Merz said. “We are doing this now almost since two years.”

Merz acknowledged the scale of the financial burden, saying support for Ukraine is placing significant pressure on national budgets and the European Union.

“It’s really a big effort for our budgets. It’s really a big thing for the European Union,” he said.

But Merz said Europe intends to continue supporting Ukraine for as long as necessary.

“We are doing that, and we are trying to keep on doing that until this terrible war ends,” he said.

Germany remains one of Ukraine’s largest military supporters in Europe. Earlier this month, Merz announced another €1 billion in German military aid during a visit to Kyiv, while European governments have increasingly financed weapons purchases and deliveries as direct U.S. financial support has fallen back.