On the 14th, German Chancellor Merz welcomed US President Trump's announcement of large-scale military aid to Ukraine through NATO, saying that he had communicated with Trump several times over the past few days and pledged that Germany would play a "decisive" role in this process.
According to Xinhua News Agency, Merz posted on social media that Germany is doing this for "its own security," and that "helping Ukraine resist Russian airstrikes is key to increasing pressure on Russia and promoting peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine."
During his visit to the Pentagon on the 14th, German Defense Minister Pistorius and U.S. Defense Secretary Hegseth discussed further military aid to Ukraine, including Germany's purchase of Patriot air defense systems from the United States to aid Ukraine.
Earlier that day, Trump, while meeting with NATO Secretary-General Rutte at the White House, said that if Russia does not reach a peace agreement with Ukraine within 50 days, the US will levy a 100% tariff on Russia; the US will provide military aid to Ukraine through NATO, "worth billions of dollars," to be procured by European countries from the US.
According to DPA, Merz previously announced that Germany is willing to bear part of the cost of aid to Ukraine and plans to purchase two sets of Patriot systems from the US, with another set to be funded by Norway. The Ukrainian side had stated that at least 10 sets of Patriot systems are needed to fully enhance its air defense capabilities.
At this stage, Germany is in close consultations with the US and other NATO allies regarding the details of military aid to Ukraine. Rutte said that in addition to Germany, Finland, Canada, Norway, Sweden, the UK, and Denmark are also contributors to the new round of weapons procurement to aid Ukraine.