BERLIN

The Budget Committee of the German parliament, Bundestag, on Wednesday discussed a massive rise in military aid for Ukraine in a clear signal to Moscow that Berlin wants to support Kyiv with arms in the long term, according to the public broadcaster ARD.

The German government wants to make an additional €12 billion (over $13 billion) available to Ukraine. The significant increase will affect not only the current year, but also the period up to 2032, the ARD said.

"We will help as long as Ukraine needs our help," Social Democratic Party lawmaker Andreas Schwarz said in an interview with ARD.

At least part of the money should be used to procure weapons directly for Ukraine, he added.

The main focus of the arms support is reportedly on air defense, protective equipment, and armored vehicles.

Parallel to the Ukraine military aid, the meeting of the budget committee is also a crucial one for the German army as it needs to order new weapons following the transfer of its arms to Ukraine, the broadcaster also said.

Among other things, the German government plans to order 10 Type 2000 self-propelled howitzers and secure a purchase option for 18 more howitzers. Germany, in conjunction with the Netherlands, has sold a total of 14 models of this heavy artillery piece to Ukraine, it added.