German railway refuses to carry humanitarian aid to Ukraine for free

DB Cargo, a subsidiary of German railway carrier Deutsche Bahn, which has so far provided free transport of humanitarian aid to Ukraine, has refused to do so without money. This was reported by Spiegel.

It is reported that the delivery of cargo for free from January 1, 2023.

The company explained that because of the free transport there lost about 5 million euros of profit, and can not bear the associated costs further. Therefore, those who wish to send humanitarian cargo to Ukraine are asked to pay.

Companies that want to send aid to Ukraine will have to pay in full for transportation, which now amounts to up to 6,000 euros per container," the newspaper said.

It is reported that the carrier has applied several times for state financial support for this initiative because DB Cargo, as a joint-stock company, can receive limited external financing. However, no agreement has been reached with the government so far.

For its part, the German Ministry of Transport assured the newspaper that the government is discussing the form and extent of support for the company to resume free transport of humanitarian cargo to Ukraine. As Spiegel found out, the German Agriculture Ministry plans to ensure the transportation of food as part of a humanitarian mission to Ukrainians in the near future.