German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced on Sunday that Germany would provide Ukraine with military aid worth nearly €1 billion, equivalent to $1.13 billion, along with an energy support package. He made the announcement during a visit to Kyiv, where he met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as air-raid sirens and explosions sounded across the capital.
Merz pledges to continue supporting Ukraine
Merz pledged to continue supporting Ukraine and urged Russia to end its escalating attacks. The German Chancellor was accompanied on his visit by a senior minister and several company executives. He said the delegation’s presence in Kyiv “shows that we will not be intimidated, even if a drone attack takes place at the same time as our visit”. Merz and Zelenskyy visited the building of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, which suffered extensive damage.
At least two people were killed in a drone strike that targeted the site last week, when Russia bombed central Kyiv in a wave described as one of the longest-running drone attacks since the war began in 2022. The German Chancellor called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war, saying Berlin was ready to enter talks on ending it, while stressing the need to halt attacks targeting civilians and Ukrainian infrastructure.
I can only repeat this once again from here: Mr Putin, put an end to this senseless war
Agreement expected on drone production
The visit is also expected to conclude an agreement between Germany and Ukraine on the joint production of various types of drones, alongside the military aid and energy-sector support package announced by Merz. Meanwhile, four air-raid warnings sounded in Kyiv on Sunday morning, while explosions and air-defence systems could be heard across the city.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram that a Russian strike hit the Northern Bridge over the Dnipro River and damaged the road. Klitschko added that the strike injured two people and also damaged the area’s hot-water supply system.
Russia has been targeting Kyiv’s bridges since last week in an attempt to disrupt links between the two banks of the capital and supply routes connecting central and eastern Ukraine. In Kharkiv, air-raid sirens were activated amid warnings of a missile attack. Russia’s Defence Ministry said it had struck two cargo ships off the port of Odesa in the Black Sea, claiming they were carrying Ukrainian military equipment.
The Russian ministry also confirmed that the Northern Bridge in Kyiv had been targeted, saying it was used to transport Ukrainian troops and military shipments. The strikes came as operations focused on bridges, supply routes, critical infrastructure and energy facilities.
Damage to bridges and energy infrastructure reaches Belgorod
Russian authorities, meanwhile, reported that a woman was killed and six civilians injured in a Ukrainian drone attack on the city of Belgorod. They added that the attacks caused a complete power cut affecting more than 170,000 subscribers.
Moscow had announced that it intended to continue striking targets inside Ukraine, describing its attacks as a response to Ukrainian operations. Zelenskyy, for his part, said Ukraine would intensify its targeting of Russian oil refineries in response to what he described as an escalation in attacks on civilian infrastructure.
