Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Berlin on Tuesday for unannounced talks with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, a visit kept secret until the last moment for security reasons.
Merz confirmed the meeting during an address to the Berlin Chamber of Commerce and Industry, saying he expected to welcome Zelenskyy around midday. The Ukrainian leader's trips abroad are typically not disclosed in advance.
The talks come days before a new round of trilateral peace negotiations between Ukraine, Russia and the United States scheduled for November 10 and 11 in Abu Dhabi, according to U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff. European representatives are expected to attend but will probably not sit at the negotiating table, DW reported.
Military and financial support will dominate the Berlin agenda. Kyiv is pressing for additional missiles to counter Russian ballistic attacks, especially for U.S.-made Patriot systems. Berlin has already delivered the Patriot batteries it says it can provide without compromising its own air defences, according to DW.
Zelenskyy set out Ukraine's funding requirements at an EU summit in October, requesting an extra €70 billion from European governments for next year. How to raise the money is expected to feature at future EU meetings on the bloc's long-term budget.
In his speech, Merz linked Germany's push to rapidly increase defence spending to the Oval Office meeting between Zelenskyy and Donald Trump last year. "What we experienced last year ... led me to conclude that we must ensure, on our own, that we are capable of defending ourselves in Europe," Merz said, according to The Guardian. He added the aim was not to question NATO but to strengthen it by making the alliance more European so it can remain transatlantic.
The Berlin Security Conference also begins on Tuesday, though Kyiv has not publicly commented on the reasons for Zelenskyy's visit, the Kyiv Independent noted.