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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would visit Berlin for talks on Tuesday.
The meeting comes as Kyiv seeks more missiles to defend against Russian ballistic strikes and asks European governments for an additional €70 billion in funding next year.
Merz told Berlin’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry that he expected to meet Zelenskyy around midday. The visit had been kept under wraps for security reasons.
What is on the agenda in Berlin?
Military and financial support is expected to be a focus of the talks. Ukraine needs more missiles for systems such as the US-made Patriot. Germany has already supplied the Patriot systems it says it can spare without weakening its own air defenses.
Zelenskyy set out Ukraine’s funding needs at an EU summit in October. How to raise the money is expected to come up at future EU meetings as governments discuss the bloc’s long-term budget.
Berlin also plans to host a summit of countries backing Ukraine later this month to discuss further support ahead of winter.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
