German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Sunday, accompanied by Economy Minister Katherina Reiche and a number of defence company executives, for a visit aimed at strengthening military support for Ukraine and finalising an agreement on the joint production of drones, missiles and related software.
German aid package for Ukraine
German government officials said Merz would announce during the visit a package of measures including €1 billion in military aid for Ukraine, as well as €350 million to fund repairs in the energy sector, amid recent Russian attacks targeting civilian and military facilities.
Merz said: "I travelled to Kyiv today because Ukraine needs all our support in the coming weeks", noting that Russian forces were shelling towns, residential buildings and heating stations. He added: "If Russia is not stopped, its war machine will sooner or later turn against us... I will tell Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy today: you can continue to rely on our support."
Economic and defence delegation to press for reforms
The economic delegation accompanying the German chancellor includes executives from Siemens Energy, Hensoldt, Diehl Defence and Quantum Systems, along with representatives of other companies. Merz is also expected to urge the Ukrainian government to make progress on reforms demanded by its European Union partners, including anti-corruption measures.
The visit is expected to put the finishing touches to an agreement on the joint production of various types of drones. On Wednesday, following a telephone call with Merz, Zelenskyy said his country would soon complete the agreement with Germany on producing drones, missiles and related software.
Co-operation to produce interceptor drones
A key element of the co-operation is expected to focus on the rapid production of drones designed to intercept jet-powered aircraft, after German defence technology company Quantum conducted successful tests on them. Russia has been using dozens of high-speed jet-powered attack drones daily since the summer to target civilian and military infrastructure in Ukraine.
Quantum and Ukrainian company WIY Drones announced in April the establishment of a joint venture called Quantum WIY Industries to produce the Strela interceptor drone and develop related air-defence technologies.
The planned agreement will also cover the development and joint production of weapons with a range of more than 1,000 kilometres, enabling Ukraine to use them to launch attacks deep inside Russia. Government officials said expanding the co-operation would allow money and technology to flow to Germany, alongside weapons production and the strengthening of means to counter drones targeting critical infrastructure.
Merz said on Thursday that Germany would not be intimidated by the increase in hybrid attacks that Russia is accused of carrying out against European countries. In response, Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Saturday that Moscow would continue systematically striking targets in Ukraine, describing its operations as a response to Ukrainian attacks inside Russia over recent months.
It also warned foreign nationals and diplomatic mission staff against remaining in or travelling to Ukraine. Zelenskyy said on Saturday that the Ukrainian armed forces would intensify their attacks on Russian oil refineries in response to what he called Moscow's "new doctrine" of escalating strikes against civilian infrastructure, which he said was intended to force residents of Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities to flee.
