German Chancellor Friedrich Merz travels to Kyiv on surprise visit to ensure support for Ukraine

The German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, traveled to Kyiv this Sunday in an unannounced trip, with the objective, he said, of ensuring Germany's support for the cause of Ukraine in the face of Russia's war of aggression.

“Today I will tell President (Volodymyr) Zelensky: 'You can continue to count on our help,'” Merz said upon his arrival at the Kyiv train station, according to a statement from the Federal Chancellery.

“If Russia is not stopped, its war machine will sooner or later be directed against us,” added the head of the German Government in a message in which he highlighted the Ukrainian need for help.

“Today I traveled to Kyiv because Ukraine needs all of our support in the coming weeks,” added the chancellor, who alluded to the arrival of winter in a country at war with Russia and whose infrastructure is especially suffering from Russian attacks.

"The fifth winter of war will soon begin for the population. Russia bombs cities, homes and thermal power plants. Ukrainians are not intimidated by terror," said Merz, who, according to the newspaper Bild, also "plans to promise Ukraine new large-scale military aid."

"Our collaboration is not a one-way street. German and Ukrainian companies jointly develop technologies that benefit both countries. This makes us safer and stronger," Merz said.

The head of the German Government, who is traveling with his Minister of Economy, Katherina Reiche, and a delegation with representatives of a dozen companies in the defense and energy sectors, arrived early this Sunday in a Ukrainian capital that has been suffering intense Russian attacks for days.

On Friday, the mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klichkó, ​​went so far as to describe as “very complicated” the situation in the Ukrainian capital, which has seen key infrastructure, such as the city's bridges, appear on the target list of the Russian invading forces.

The Ukrainian president condemned on Saturday that Russia continues to “turn our infrastructure and everything that supported daily life into its targets,” with attacks targeting Kyiv's North Bridge, as well as residential buildings, railways and energy infrastructure in several Ukrainian regions.

In this context, according to the newspaper Bild, "Germany above all wants to strengthen Ukrainian anti-drone defenses" and the production of other long-range systems for which "one billion euros will be allocated from already approved budget funds."

The German Government will also support Ukraine in terms of energy logistics during this visit of the Chancellor, since "another 350 million euros have been planned for the repair and reconstruction of the destroyed power plants," according to Bild.

“I am glad to be here and I am glad to be able to come and talk to my partners in difficult times,” said Reiche upon his arrival in Kyiv, as reported by NTV.

Merz's visit this Sunday is the fourth by a German chancellor to Ukraine since the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine began in February 2022.

In May 2024, Merz visited Kyiv alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, then-British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk.

This Sunday is Merz's first bilateral visit to Ukraine, and according to the Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Olkesí Makeiev, who was part of the German authorities' trip, the chancellor's gesture is of special importance.

"It's a sign of support. We need it," Makeiev said in statements to NTV television, to which he expressed his confidence that the "German-Ukrainian strategic partnership" will be ratified during this visit by Merz.