Friedrich Merz arrived in Kyiv on Sunday to reaffirm Germany’s support for Ukraine as Russia intensified its attacks on Ukrainian cities. The German chancellor’s second visit as head of government underscored a recently announced €1.3 billion support package for Ukraine’s defense and energy needs.
“If Russia is not stopped, its war machine will sooner or later turn against us,” Merz said in a statement, adding that he told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy: “You can continue to count on our help.” Zelenskyy responded on social media, thanking Merz for the visit and reiterating that “Russia must be stopped together.”
The trip comes amid escalating aerial strikes by Moscow, including ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones targeting Ukrainian cities. Kyiv has retaliated by striking Russian oil infrastructure, drawing criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump amid broader energy shocks. Despite Russia’s warnings to foreign diplomats to leave Ukraine, EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarína Mathernová declared: “We are staying.”
Merz’s visit also followed a contentious meeting between Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in New York, which some in Brussels viewed as a potential thaw in Moscow’s isolation. Wadephul’s message during the bilateral was for Russia to halt its invasion and engage in negotiations with Ukraine.
