BERLIN

Germany will increase its military support to Ukraine to more than €11.5 billion ($13.4 billion) next year, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced Friday.

Speaking at a joint news conference in Berlin with his colleagues from the UK, France, Italy, and Poland, Pistorius said they are united and determined to increase military support to Ukraine amid Russia's intensified attacks.

"For Germany, I can say, we are prepared to continue taking the lead in supporting Ukraine. Yesterday, the parliament followed my proposal to expand Ukraine aid next year. In 2026, this will amount to more than 11.5 billion euros," Pistorius said.

The defense minister strongly condemned Russia's drone and missile attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, calling them violations of international law aimed at breaking Ukrainian morale before winter.

“Russia is deliberately, massively, and with increasing precision attacking civilian energy infrastructure. It is very clear that Russian President Putin aims to make the winter as unbearable as possible for Ukraine, to destroy morale,” the minister said.

"For us, it is clear: we will not abandon Ukraine; it can continue to rely on us. We reaffirmed this to our Ukrainian colleague Denis Shmyhal, who joined us remotely and gave us an update on the situation in Ukraine," Pistorius added.