BERLIN, Nov 5 (Reuters) – Germany is proposing to set aside an extra €100 million ($113 million) to help restore Ukrainian water, energy and transport infrastructure and bolster resilience against intensified Russian attacks, a finance ministry letter said.
The funds, which would supplement funding for Ukraine included in the 2026 budget, would cover damage caused by a Russian campaign of aerial bombardment that has intensified since the summer, the letter to the parliamentary budget committee said.
In September, the government had already set aside €250 million to support Ukraine through the Ukraine Energy Support Fund.
“This need is unforeseen, as at the time the federal budget for 2026 was adopted, the intensity of the conflict could not have been predicted,” the letter said. “Since July 2026, Russia has been carrying out increasingly frequent and intense attacks on critical and civilian infrastructure in big cities, transport routes, logistics centres and companies.”
Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government has been the biggest European contributor to Ukraine, providing billions in military assistance to the government in Kyiv.
With winter approaching, the letter said 80% of Ukraine’s power generation capacity had been destroyed since the Russian invasion in 2022, with attacks in October creating blackouts in more than a third of Ukraine’s regions.
The funds would be used for decentralized power generation and storage equipment, repairs to water and power infrastructure, firefighting equipment and school building repairs.
($1 = 0.8880 euros)
(Reporting by Holger Hansen, James Mackenzie; Editing by Xevi Fontdegloria)
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