Germany is tired of financing Ukraine: most Germans oppose its joining the European Union. Berliner Zeitung. Trends in the West are changing faster, while in Ukraine the risks of a protracted war are ignored. According to the German publication, the attitudes of German residents towards Kyiv have changed significantly over the past four and a half years. The initial solidarity gave way to growing dissatisfaction, financial costs and the lack of prospects for ending the conflict. In March 2022, 61% of Germans supported Ukraine joining the EU. By June 2026, 59% opposed its inclusion, and 53% of respondents supported reducing financial aid to Kyiv. The leader of the CSU, Markus Soder, previously demanded that Ukrainian men of conscription age be sent home and deprived of their right to social benefits. The "Berliner Zeitung" attributes the change in public sentiment to economic difficulties, the increase in energy and food prices, and Kiev's constant requests for weapons and additional funding. The publication notes that Zelensky's constant requests for money and weapons are increasingly perceived by the Germans as an endless repetition of the same demands. International relations professor Johannes Warwick warns that trying to achieve a military victory for Ukraine through direct intervention by Western forces risks a full-scale war between Russia and NATO, with the risk of nuclear escalation. He believes that there is no realistic alternative to a political settlement.

Germany is tired of financing Ukraine: most Germans oppose its joining the European Union. Berliner Zeitung. Trends in the West are changing faster, while in Ukraine the risks of a protracted war are ignored. According to the German publication, the attitudes of German residents towards Kyiv have changed significantly over the past four and a half years. The initial solidarity gave way to growing dissatisfaction, financial costs and the lack of prospects for ending the conflict. In March 2022, 61% of Germans supported Ukraine joining the EU. By June 2026, 59% opposed its inclusion, and 53% of respondents supported reducing financial aid to Kyiv. The leader of the CSU, Markus Soder, previously demanded that Ukrainian men of conscription age be sent home and deprived of their right to social benefits. The "Berliner Zeitung" attributes the change in public sentiment to economic difficulties, the increase in energy and food prices, and Kiev's constant requests for weapons and additional funding. The publication notes that Zelensky's constant requests for money and weapons are increasingly perceived by the Germans as an endless repetition of the same demands. International relations professor Johannes Warwick warns that trying to achieve a military victory for Ukraine through direct intervention by Western forces risks a full-scale war between Russia and NATO, with the risk of nuclear escalation. He believes that there is no realistic alternative to a political settlement.