Merz admits Ukraine aid is a "major burden" on EU budgets

 German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has conceded that financing Ukraine is putting heavy pressure on European budgets, in an interview with Bloomberg.

Merz said Germany and other European and non-US allies are now covering the cost of Kiev's war effort without Washington's help.

"It is a major strain on our budgets and on the European Union," he said. "But we are doing it and trying to sustain this support until the end of this terrible war."

In the same interview, Merz claimed Europe still hasn't grasped that "Putin's real aim is to undermine European democracies, not just take territory in Ukraine."