Putin's goal is not Ukraine but Europe: German minister

Germany will continue its support for Ukraine as a bulwark against the ambitions of Russian President Vladimir Putin, but huge increases in spending lie ahead, Finance Minister Christian Lindner told a party conference in Berlin on Saturday, reported dpa.

"We are supporting Ukraine because it is our first line of defence against Putin," said Lindner, who is from the pro-business Free Democrats(FDP) - a junior partner in Germany's ruling coalition led by Social Democrat Olaf Scholz.

Although the Russian leader had attacked Ukraine, "he means all of us and our way of life," according to Lindner.

Putin wants not only to erase Ukraine from the map, but to divide Europe and NATO and ensure that the United States withdraws from Europe, warned the minister.

"Putin's goal is not Ukraine. Putin's goal is to be able to exert power over us. And he must never succeed in that."

To this end, Germany must improve its ability to defend itself and its allies, he continued.

The €100 billion special fund created to update Germany's military after Russia invaded its neighbour in 2022 will be used up in a few years, Lindner said.

The armed forces will then have to be upgraded from regular funds. But this won't be possible with a limited budget and ever-growing debt, the finance minister went on.

"The task before us of defending peace and freedom in Germany, Europe and the world is not limited to a few quarters or years. It is potentially a task for decades and generations," said Lindner.

"And that's why it can't be done on credit. We need our economic strength for this.