Spiegel: German railways stopped transporting humanitarian aid to Kiev for free
DB Cargo, the freight and logistics division of German railway carrier Deutsche Bahn, has stopped transporting humanitarian aid to Ukraine for free, German magazine Spiegel reported, citing sources in railway circles.
Earlier, the German railways and the country’s Transport Ministry had promised to transport humanitarian aid to Ukraine for free.
“As Spiegel has learned from railway circles, this support recently ended as abruptly as it began. As of 1 January 2023, DB Cargo no longer offers free transport to Ukraine,” the publication notes.
It is specified that the delivery of humanitarian aid will now have to be paid for like other transportation. Accordingly, the company has stopped advertising its willingness to help.
According to the magazine, since February last year, DB Cargo has transported 1,300 containers of food, hygiene products, water purification equipment, generators and wheelchairs by rail and road to Ukraine. The donors were mainly companies from Germany. The publication specifies that the transportation costs of almost five million euros were covered by the railways.
The publication has learned that DB Cargo will no longer be able to finance transportation for legal reasons. As the company is a joint-stock company, it can donate up to a certain amount for legal reasons.
The magazine notes that the German government is currently discussing what form and how much support can be given to the transport of foodstuffs as humanitarian aid to Ukraine, but no quick decision is expected. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Agriculture wants to provide food transports from an additional budget. And it assures that such a decision can follow soon.
As for other types of aid, it is more complicated, the media explains. For example, the aid association Human Plus e.V. has not been able to send a container of winter clothes, blankets and medicines and it is still waiting for its shipment to North Rhine-Westphalia. As the board explained to the publication, the association does not have the funds to transport it.
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