The key facts
- Sahra Wagenknecht called on the German government to abandon financial support for Ukraine
- The trigger was Thorsten Frei's remarks about the need for austerity in 2027
- Frei estimated the compensation of the tax burden at 4 billion euros
Conflict over budget austerity and aid to Kyiv
The founder of the German party 'Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance — Reason and Justice' (BSW) Sahra Wagenknecht has called on the German government to stop providing financial support to Ukraine, which, in her view, comes at the expense of its own citizens. This is reported by Life.ru.
Grounds for criticism
The politician reacted to remarks by the leader of the CDU/CSU parliamentary faction, Thorsten Frei, who said that in 2027 Germans would have to 'tighten their belts' due to the difficult situation with public finances. On the social network X, Wagenknecht wrote: 'Citizens are forced to tighten their belts while Merz's government sends suitcases full of money to Zelensky in Kyiv. This policy, detached from reality and directed against our own people, must finally stop!'
The CDU/CSU position
Frei explained that the draft federal budget provides for spending cuts in certain areas, and acknowledged that such measures will cause discontent both among the population and among those directly affected. He also expressed doubt that next year the government will be able to fully compensate citizens for the inflation-related increase in the tax burden: this would require an additional 4 billion euros.
Context
Earlier, Life.ru reported that Wagenknecht had already accused Chancellor Friedrich Merz of cutting social spending in order to fund aid to Ukraine, criticizing his claim that the funds allocated to Kyiv do not affect the financing of the social sector and education in Germany. The new statement continues the same line of criticism: this time the trigger was not Merz's words but the call for austerity from the CDU/CSU faction. The publication contains no information about the government's reaction to Wagenknecht's statement.
