German and Ukrainian companies signed more than a dozen cooperation documents on the sidelines of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's visit to Kiev. The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense agreed with the Diehl company to supply thousands of Iris-T air defense missiles and other launchers, the Ukrainian government announced. A contract for satellite technology has been agreed with the Hensoldt company.
The company Quantum is to further develop and produce interceptor drones for the fast Russian jet drones for the Ministry of Defense. According to the company, these will be built in Ukraine and will be available in winter 2026/27. President Volodymyr Zelensky put the total volume of all declarations of intent at 8.5 billion euros. In German government circles there was talk of 6.5 billion euros. Chancellor Merz had announced that the federal government had released another billion euros in military aid and 350 million euros for the energy system damaged by Russian attacks.
Cooperation agreements to upgrade the Ukrainian power grid were signed with the energy companies Siemensenergy and 50Hertz Transmission and Amprion. There were also agreements between companies from both countries. In the future, the company ARX Robotics wants to work with the Ukrainian company Roboneers on the development of unmanned military land vehicles. In addition, cooperation was agreed between companies in the production of ammunition for 155-millimeter artillery.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) appeared unimpressed by the Russian warnings a few hours before his visit to Kiev and by the drone attack during his stay. Despite the threats, he came with a large government and business delegation, Merz said at a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the capital. "This shows: We will not allow ourselves to be intimidated. We will not allow ourselves to be intimidated by a drone attack at the same time as our visit."
Merz said he didn't know whether the threats from Moscow were directly related to his visit. In any case, he doesn't let it impress him. “I take the trips that I think are right.” In this respect, he is “quite frankly relatively indifferent” to Moscow’s actions.
The Russian Defense Ministry has announced a further intensification of its strikes against Kiev and other areas of Ukraine. Moscow is responding to threats from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to attack further military facilities and defense plants in Russia, the ministry said.
After a repeated Russian warning, the ambassadors of Germany and the European Union have demonstratively announced that they will not leave the Ukrainian capital Kiev. “Amen - we stay,” wrote German Ambassador Boris Ruge on the X platform.
During Chancellor Friedrich Merz's visit to Kiev, the city was the target of a Russian air raid. The carriageway of the northern bridge over the Dnipro River was hit, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram.
Russia lost more ground in Ukraine than it gained in September, according to an analysis by the US Institute for War Studies (ISW). The institute announced on the X platform that the loss was around 81 square kilometers. Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin's claims about Russian gains in territory on the front in September are so far from reality "that they seem like hallucinations."
Ukraine wants to step up its attacks on oil refineries in Russia, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky. This is a response to a new Russian tactic to encourage residents of Kiev and other cities to flee, Zelensky told Reuters in an interview published on Saturday.
According to official information, Russian drones have landed on Moldovan territory. “Five Russian airstrikes, including Banderol missiles and drones, violated our airspace and exploded on our soil,” wrote Moldovan President Maia Sandu on the X platform.
The airport in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius was closed on Saturday after a possible drone sighting. Jets from the NATO air surveillance mission in the Baltics were alerted after reports that a suspected drone was flying from Belarus towards Lithuania, the National Center for Crisis Management said.
Ukraine will receive additional financial aid from the EU totaling around 2.9 billion euros. “With today’s disbursement, we are helping to secure Ukraine’s financial stability and supporting investments that will lay the foundation for its future reconstruction,” said EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
According to Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha, four countries have made proposals to Ukraine for a partial ceasefire with Russia. These came from the USA, India, Turkey and Egypt and provide for a stop to attacks on energy infrastructure and on the transport of goods by ship in the Black Sea, as Sybiha announced.
