Friedrich Merz arrived in Kyiv to the sound of air-raid sirens and explosions — and brought with him a new German package of military aid, money for the power grid and a plan to deepen drone production with Ukraine.
The German chancellor made the unannounced trip on Sunday as Russia intensified attacks on the Ukrainian capital and other parts of the country. Merz met President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and said Berlin would continue supporting Ukraine for as long as necessary.
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| German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meet in Kyiv during an earlier visit, as Germany expands military, energy and industrial support for Ukraine. Photo: Ukrainian Presidential Press Office / Handout. |
Germany will provide €1 billion in additional military assistance and €350 million for repairs to Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, much of which has come under renewed Russian attack ahead of winter.
The visit also pushed forward a German-Ukrainian agreement on joint drone production, part of a broader effort to link German industrial capacity with Ukraine’s wartime experience in unmanned systems.
Drones move closer to the center of German support
The two countries have already been working on a broader drone partnership.
Earlier this year, Berlin and Kyiv agreed on arrangements covering joint production of long-range strike drones, including the Anubis and Seth-X systems, and Germany said it would examine a longer-term Ukrainian proposal for joint drone production.
Merz’s latest visit is intended to bring that cooperation closer to implementation.
Reuters reported that the new agreement will include anti-jet drones designed to help Ukraine counter faster Russian attack drones, which have become harder for existing Ukrainian air defenses to intercept. Germany is also supporting longer-range systems capable of striking targets more than 1,000 kilometers away.
That emphasis reflects how the war has changed. Ukraine is increasingly relying on lower-cost interceptors and locally produced drones to deal with large Russian attack waves, while both Kyiv and its European partners are trying to expand production faster than conventional air-defense systems can be supplied.
€350 million for an energy system under pressure
Merz’s visit came days after one of Russia’s largest recent attacks on Ukraine’s energy network.
A coordinated Russian strike on September 30 hit power infrastructure in Kyiv and several other regions, causing emergency outages and damaging transport and water systems. Russia used hundreds of drones and missiles in the assault.
Germany’s new €350 million energy package is aimed at repairs and resilience as Ukraine prepares for another winter under sustained attack.
Berlin has already made energy security a major part of its Ukraine policy. The German government has previously funded emergency power repairs and called for stronger, more resilient energy networks able to withstand repeated strikes.
For Ukraine, the challenge is no longer simply rebuilding what has been damaged. It is keeping electricity, heating and water systems running while the same infrastructure remains a continuing military target.
Merz: Russia’s war could move beyond Ukraine
Merz used the visit to make a broader security argument.
He warned that Russia’s “war machine” could eventually turn against Europe, framing German support for Ukraine not only as assistance to Kyiv but as part of Germany’s own defense.
That argument has become a recurring theme in Berlin. Merz has repeatedly said that strengthening Ukraine also strengthens European security, and the German government now describes Kyiv as one of its closest strategic partners.
Germany has become one of Ukraine’s largest military backers. Merz said earlier this year that Berlin had provided roughly €40 billion in military support since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022, with more than €11 billion budgeted for military assistance in 2026 alone.
The latest €1 billion package adds to that total.
A visit made under fire
The timing gave the trip a sharper edge.
Merz arrived as Kyiv was experiencing air-raid alerts and explosions, while Russia continued strikes on infrastructure around the capital. Reuters reported that he and Zelenskiy later visited the damaged National Academy of Sciences site, which had been hit in a recent Russian drone attack.
Merz was accompanied by Economy Minister Katherina Reiche and executives from major German defense and energy companies, underlining that the visit was not limited to military aid.
The agenda also included reconstruction, industrial cooperation and Ukraine’s reforms tied to its path toward European Union membership. Germany has said continued progress on rule-of-law and anti-corruption reforms remains part of its support for Ukraine’s integration into the EU.
The new money, the drone agreement and the energy package all point in the same direction: Berlin is moving from short-term wartime assistance toward a longer-term security and industrial partnership with Ukraine.
Merz’s warning was that Germany sees that investment as something larger than solidarity with Kyiv.
For Berlin, the argument is increasingly that the outcome of the war will shape the security environment Germany itself will face next.
Sources
- Reuters — Merz’s October 4 surprise visit to Kyiv, €1 billion in military aid, €350 million for energy repairs and the joint drone agreement.
- Reuters — recent Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy system ahead of winter.
- German Federal Government — Germany’s long-term military, energy and reconstruction support for Ukraine.
- Office of the President of Ukraine — German-Ukrainian agreements on long-range and mid-range drone production.