Germany unveils €1.3 billion Ukraine aid as Merz visits Kyiv under fire

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced a €1.3 billion aid package in Kyiv alongside Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The move boosts Ukraine's air defences and signals Europe backing as Russian attacks intensify.

In Short

• Ukraine and Germany signed 15 deals centred on security and weapons production
• Berlin will back interceptor drone production after recent technical breakthroughs accelerated output
• Zelenskyy said Russia launched 900 jet-powered drones this week alone

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced a new aid package for Ukraine worth more than 1.3 billion euros during a visit to Kyiv on Sunday, as Russia stepped up attacks on Ukrainian cities. About 1 billion euros of the package is military aid, including long-range strike weapons, combat drones and satellite technology, with Merz saying it would help "so that Ukraine can also target Russian launch pads". Germany is also providing about 350 million euros in energy aid ahead of winter for generators, substations and repair work.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine and Germany also signed 15 agreements worth more than 8.5 billion euros, mostly on security cooperation, weapons production and procurement, along with an agreement to expand joint counter-drone efforts. "This is weaponry that will help right now," Zelenskyy wrote on X. He said air defence was "key" at this time.

At a joint news conference, Zelenskyy said Merz's visit during Russian attacks was "an important signal of support for Ukraine and of the courage of Germany and all of Europe". Merz said Germany would fund the joint production of drones designed to intercept Russia's jet-powered drones, adding that "significant technical breakthroughs" in recent weeks were speeding up production. "This will quickly and tangibly strengthen Ukraine's air defence," he said. "And this strengthening is urgently needed." Zelenskyy said jet-powered drones were becoming a growing challenge, adding that Russia had launched 900 of them this week alone and Ukraine had been able to intercept only about half. He highlighted the role of F-16 fighter jets and said he would speak to US President Donald Trump about getting more ammunition.

Zelenskyy also accused Moscow of avoiding meaningful peace talks, while saying Ukraine and Germany were working to advance diplomacy with European participation. Germany, Ukraine's biggest donor, has sent Kyiv more than 43.3 billion euros since the war began, along with equipment and weapons.

Merz and Zelenskyy also visited a damaged building of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in central Kyiv, where a Russian attack on Monday killed two people, as air raid sirens sounded across the capital. "These barbaric attacks on the civilian population of Ukraine must stop. These are daily war crimes," Merz said at the site, which is a few hundred metres from the German Embassy. Addressing Russian President Vladimir Putin, he said he should end "this senseless war", adding: "We're ready to talk." Speaking in English, Zelenskyy called the strike on the academy "absolutely terrible" and noted that Russia was attacking even while the chancellor was in Kyiv. He thanked Merz for the visit and said Ukraine drew strength from its "strong partners".

Merz said Russia's actions against Germany went beyond a failed drone attack at Leipzig Airport in early August, and pointed to daily attacks on data centres and data networks. "None of this will stop if we stop helping Ukraine," he said. "On the contrary, it will only get worse after that." Germany has blamed Russia for the Leipzig incident and in early September announced the closure of its consulate in St Petersburg, the latest step in a series of reciprocal moves. Merz said Germany would take further steps to protect itself, including against Russia's shadow fleet of tankers in the Baltic and North Seas, airspace violations and drone attacks. He also accused Russia of running systematic disinformation campaigns in Germany through bots and collaborators, saying: "This is the political battle of ideas that we must wage in Germany." He added that he was "more determined than ever" because Germany's "peaceful and free future" was at stake.

The German and Russian foreign ministers met on the sidelines of last month's UN General Assembly session, in what was believed to be their first face-to-face meeting since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Russia's Sergey Lavrov rejected German calls to move away from what Berlin described as a dangerous path of escalation, and accused Germany of being Ukraine's main sponsor and of wanting to become a leading military power in Europe. Meanwhile, Merz's position at home has been weakened by a series of defeats in state elections last month, including losses to the anti-migration and Russia-friendly Alternative for Germany party, though he said he intended to remain chancellor.

Russian attacks continued to hit Kyiv's bridges on Sunday, with the Northern Bridge over the Dnipro River damaged again. Video shared on social media appeared to show a drone hitting the bridge and exploding as vehicles were crossing. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said two people were wounded. Russian assaults since Thursday have led to the full or partial closure of three of Kyiv's six road bridges, disrupting traffic and causing long tailbacks. Local officials also said one person was killed and 16 were wounded in a Russian aerial bomb attack on Sumy. Russia's Defence Ministry said it would step up strikes on military-industrial facilities and related infrastructure in Kyiv and other regions, in response to Zelenskyy's comments in an interview with Reuters, published on Saturday, that Ukraine would intensify attacks on Russian oil refineries. More than 4 years into the war, there are still no concrete signs of a peace settlement, and fighting along the roughly 1,250-km front line has remained largely deadlocked in recent months.

With PTI Inputs

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