German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced more than €1.3 billion in new military and energy assistance during a visit to Kyiv as Ukraine confronted intensified Russian drone and missile attacks and the two countries expanded joint weapons production and air-defense cooperation.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom.
KYIV, Ukraine — German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced more than €1.3 billion, or about $1.5 billion, in new aid for Ukraine on Sunday during a visit to Kyiv that unfolded against the backdrop of Russian air attacks on the capital and other Ukrainian cities.
The package includes approximately €1 billion, or $1.1 billion, in additional military assistance and about €350 million, or $395 million, to reinforce Ukraine’s battered energy infrastructure before winter. Merz and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also announced a broader collection of defense and industrial agreements as the two governments deepen cooperation on weapons production, drones and air defense.
About €1 billion of the new package will support military capabilities including long-range strike weapons, combat drones and satellite technology, Merz said, providing Ukraine with additional capabilities “so that Ukraine can also target Russian launch pads.”
The remaining energy assistance is intended for generators, substations, repairs and other measures needed to keep electricity and heating systems operating through another winter of Russian attacks. The Ukrainian president’s office said the package exceeds €1.3 billion and is specifically aimed at strengthening defense and energy resilience.
Zelenskyy said the two countries signed 15 agreements and documents worth more than €8.5 billion, or about $9.6 billion, covering security cooperation, procurement, joint production and other industrial projects.
“This is weaponry that will help right now,” Zelenskyy wrote on X.
He said air defense remains “key” as Ukraine attempts to counter an expanding Russian aerial campaign involving ballistic missiles and increasingly fast jet-powered drones.
The agreements represent one of the broadest expansions of German-Ukrainian industrial cooperation since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Zelenskyy said most of the 15 agreements involve defense production, procurement from German companies and joint projects inside Ukraine. Official Ukrainian government information on the agreements also lists air-defense interceptors, F-16 ammunition and related security systems among the priorities.
At a joint news conference, Zelenskyy said Merz’s decision to travel to Kyiv while Russian attacks were continuing was “an important signal of support for Ukraine and of the courage of Germany and all of Europe.”
A major component of the new cooperation involves developing and producing drones capable of intercepting Russia’s jet-powered unmanned aircraft.
Merz said recent “significant technical breakthroughs” had accelerated efforts to produce the interceptors jointly.
“This will quickly and tangibly strengthen Ukraine’s air defense,” Merz said. “And this strengthening is urgently needed.”
Zelenskyy described the Russian jet-powered drones as one of Ukraine’s growing battlefield and air-defense challenges. He said Moscow had launched about 900 such aircraft during the past week alone and that Ukrainian forces had managed to intercept only roughly half of them.
Ukraine has relied in part on F-16 fighter jets to counter the faster drones. Zelenskyy said he planned to speak with President Donald Trump about obtaining additional ammunition for the aircraft.
The intensifying aerial war has created a new technological contest between Russia’s expanding deployment of high-speed drones and Ukraine’s effort to develop cheaper and more plentiful interception systems. Kyiv has also continued striking targets inside Russia, particularly oil refineries and other facilities tied to Moscow’s energy sector.
Russia, meanwhile, has increased attacks on Ukrainian transportation networks, energy facilities and other infrastructure.
Merz and Zelenskyy saw the consequences firsthand Sunday when they visited the damaged National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in central Kyiv. The building, located only a few hundred yards from the German Embassy, was hit in a Russian attack Monday that killed two people.
Air raid sirens sounded across Kyiv as the two leaders visited the site.
“These barbaric attacks on the civilian population of Ukraine must stop. These are daily war crimes,” Merz said.
Addressing Russian President Vladimir Putin, the German chancellor called on him to end “this senseless war.”
“We’re ready to talk,” Merz said.
Zelenskyy, speaking in English at the damaged academy building, called the attack “absolutely terrible” and pointed out that Russian strikes were continuing even while the German chancellor was visiting Kyiv.
He thanked Merz for traveling to Ukraine and said the country continued to draw strength from its “strong partners.”
Sunday’s attacks underscored the immediate security concerns surrounding the visit.
Russia again struck Kyiv’s Northern Bridge across the Dnipro River, according to Ukrainian authorities. Video circulated online showing a drone hitting the bridge and exploding while vehicles were crossing.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said two people were wounded.
Repeated Russian attacks since Thursday have forced the full or partial closure of three of Kyiv’s six road bridges, disrupting traffic across the capital and creating major backups as Moscow places increasing pressure on transportation routes.
Russia said it struck the Northern Bridge because it was being used to move military personnel and cargo. Reuters reported Russia’s account of the bridge attack along with additional Russian strikes on maritime and logistics targets near Odesa.
Elsewhere, a Russian aerial bomb attack on Sumy killed one person and wounded 16 on Sunday, according to local officials.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said the same day that Moscow would intensify attacks against military-industrial facilities and infrastructure connected to Ukraine’s war effort.
The announcement followed comments by Zelenskyy in a Reuters interview published Saturday in which he said Ukraine intended to increase attacks against Russian oil refineries in response to Moscow’s expanded campaign against Ukrainian energy and infrastructure targets. Reuters reported Sunday that Russia explicitly linked its planned escalation to those comments.
Zelenskyy has said Ukraine will continue targeting Russia’s energy sector because oil revenue helps finance Moscow’s military operations, while insisting Kyiv does not intend to deliberately strike civilian targets.
The escalating exchange has added urgency to Germany’s effort to strengthen Ukrainian air defenses.
Germany has emerged as one of Kyiv’s largest sources of military and civilian assistance. The German government says it has provided more than €43.3 billion in bilateral civilian assistance since Russia’s full-scale invasion began and has provided or earmarked roughly €57.6 billion in military support for Ukraine.
That military assistance has included air-defense systems, artillery, armored vehicles, ammunition, medical supplies and other equipment.
The latest agreements move the relationship increasingly toward joint production rather than relying exclusively on weapons transferred from existing German inventories.
Merz traveled to Kyiv with German Economy and Energy Minister Katherina Reiche and a delegation of representatives from defense, industrial and energy companies.
The two governments are working to expand joint drone production, weapons procurement and technologies designed specifically around lessons learned from the battlefield.
Ukraine has become one of the world’s largest developers and users of unmanned systems during the war, while Germany provides industrial capacity, financing and advanced defense technology. Both governments are seeking to combine those capabilities as Russian weapons also evolve.
Merz’s visit comes as Germany itself confronts what its government describes as a widening Russian security threat.
The chancellor said Moscow’s hostile activity against Germany extends beyond conventional military concerns and includes cyberattacks, suspected sabotage, drone incidents and attacks against computer infrastructure.
He specifically pointed to a failed drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport in early August that Germany has blamed on Russia. Moscow has denied involvement.
“None of this will stop if we stop helping Ukraine,” Merz said. “On the contrary, it will only get worse after that.”
Germany responded to deteriorating relations with Moscow in September by announcing the closure of its consulate in St. Petersburg, another development in a series of diplomatic retaliations between the two countries.
Merz said Berlin also intends to take additional measures against security threats involving Russia’s so-called shadow fleet of tankers operating in the Baltic and North seas, airspace violations and drone activity.
He accused Moscow of conducting systematic disinformation campaigns inside Germany through automated accounts and local collaborators.
“This is the political battle of ideas that we must wage in Germany,” Merz said.
The chancellor said he was “more determined than ever” to confront such activity because Germany’s “peaceful and free future” was at stake.
Russian and German officials have traded increasingly sharp accusations as Berlin expands its military role in support of Ukraine.
The two countries’ foreign ministers met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly last month in what was believed to be their first face-to-face meeting since Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion.
Germany urged Moscow to step back from what it called a “dangerous path of escalation.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov rejected that criticism, accusing Germany of becoming Ukraine’s principal sponsor and attempting to establish itself as a leading military power in Europe.
The confrontation with Russia is also unfolding during a difficult political period for Merz at home.
His standing was weakened after poor results for his political camp in state elections last month, including gains by the anti-migration Alternative for Germany, which has opposed Berlin’s current Ukraine policy and favored restoring closer relations with Moscow. Reuters reported that recent state-election results increased political pressure on Merz, although the chancellor has said he intends to remain in office.
Ukraine policy has consequently become intertwined with a larger German debate over defense spending, relations with Russia, migration, economic conditions and the country’s role in European security.
Merz used his visit to Kyiv to argue that cutting support for Ukraine would not insulate Germany from those threats.
His government’s position is that allowing Russia to prevail in Ukraine would increase rather than reduce security risks elsewhere in Europe.
Zelenskyy likewise argued that stronger European defense cooperation is necessary both to protect Ukraine and eventually create conditions for negotiations.
He accused Moscow of avoiding meaningful peace talks but said Ukraine and Germany were continuing diplomatic efforts involving European governments.
Neither side announced a new peace initiative Sunday, and there remain no concrete signs of an imminent settlement.
Fighting along the roughly 1,250-kilometer, or 780-mile, front stretching through northern, eastern and southern Ukraine has changed relatively little in recent months despite continuing battles and attacks far behind the front lines.
The war is now more than four and a half years old.
As movement on the ground has slowed, long-range warfare has become increasingly significant. Russia is sending missiles and drones against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure while Ukraine is conducting deeper attacks against Russian refineries, fuel facilities and other targets.
That shift explains much of the focus of Sunday’s German aid announcement.
The new package is intended not only to provide weapons but to help Ukraine detect, intercept and strike the systems Russia is using to conduct its expanding air campaign.
For Merz, the visit also delivered a broader message that Germany intends to maintain its support despite political pressures at home and increasingly direct security tensions with Moscow.
For Zelenskyy, the immediate priority remains obtaining enough interceptors, aircraft ammunition and air-defense systems to counter the increasing number of Russian weapons arriving over Ukrainian cities.
“This will quickly and tangibly strengthen Ukraine’s air defense,” Merz said of the new joint interceptor program.
“And this strengthening is urgently needed.”
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