Friedrich Merz receives Volodymyr Selenskyj in Berlin

Parts of the government district are closed, 3,400 additional police officers have been ordered, task forces have been positioned: for a short-term visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Berlin. Zelensky was received by Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) in the Chancellery on Tuesday afternoon.

The meeting will be about voting on the three-way talks announced by the USA with Moscow and Kyiv to negotiate the war in Ukraine. It will also be about Ukrainian air defense and aid for the ailing energy supply. Zelenskyj announced this on Platform X after arriving in Berlin. Merz and Zelenskyj are also planning to have lunch together.

Zelensky's visit, which has one of the highest security ratings, had not been announced beforehand. On Monday, the police only spoke of several state guests who were expected to attend the Berlin Security Conference. The conference is attended by defense representatives, military experts and scientists. They discuss military threats and the security policy situation. More than 140 speakers are expected to appear on various podiums, and Zelensky will also take part in the conference.

There are enough topics: US special envoy Steve Witkoff announced on Monday that representatives from Ukraine, Russia and the USA would meet on November 10th and 11th in the Gulf Emirate of Abu Dhabi. This advances US President Donald Trump's "mission" to end the war, Witkoff wrote on

Witkoff added that US negotiators would also meet with representatives from Europe and NATO in Brussels this week. From a German perspective, this also concerns the question of the extent to which the Europeans can be involved in direct discussions with Russia.