The project reportedly aimed to highlight Berlin's leadership in European security but was overshadowed by controversy over its declining military support for Ukraine.
Media reported last week that Germany had to reduce its military assistance for Ukraine over lack of funding. Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in a decree that no new requests for aid would be approved beyond the already endorsed supplies. Despite this, Scholz promised that Germany would remain Ukraine's largest European donor.
Russia said that arms supplies for Ukraine hindered the peace process and made NATO countries a party to the conflict. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the United States and NATO were directly involved in the conflict not only by providing weapons, but also by training Ukrainian military personnel.