President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hailed Germany as a “true friend and reliable ally” after announcing it would provide Ukraine with an additional €2.7 billion in military aid and build an arms factory in the country.
Zelenskyy’s visit to Germany on Sunday, his first since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, marks a marked improvement in bilateral ties after Kiev accused Germany of hesitancy in its support for Ukraine earlier in the war.
Zelenskyi met German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and other officials a day after his visit to Rome to meet Italian leaders and Pope Francis. Zelenskyy was due to arrive in Paris later on Sunday for a surprise meeting with President Emmanuel Macron. It is the second such visit by the Ukrainian President to France, who also visited Paris in February for a joint meeting with Macron and Scholz.
Germany, which decided in January to send its Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine, announced on Saturday that it would supply the country with additional weapons worth 2.7 billion euros to Ukraine. According to the German Defense Ministry, Berlin has provided military aid totaling 4.2 billion euros since 2022.
German heavy arms maker Rheinmetall announced on Saturday that it will build a tank repair and maintenance factory in Ukraine in a joint venture with state defense conglomerate Ukroboronprom.
The deliveries include 18 self-propelled howitzers, four IRIS-T SLM anti-aircraft systems, 30 older Leopard 1 main battle tanks and 20 Marder infantry fighting vehicles, as well as artillery ammunition. In a post on Twitter, Zelenskyy called the deal the “biggest military aid package since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion” and said German equipment “saves Ukrainian lives and brings us closer to victory.”
In light of the improved ties, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Germany would provide assistance “for as long as it takes” to end the “Russian war against the Ukrainian people.” In April last year, Steinmeier canceled a visit to Ukraine after admitting he was not welcome, even though the German President met his Ukrainian counterpart in Kiev in October.
Armin Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall, said on Saturday that the German armaments group would “produce selected Rheinmetall products in Ukraine” together with Ukroboronprom.
On Sunday Zelenskyy and Scholz traveled to the western German city of Aachen, where an award was presented to Ukraine’s president and his country’s people to recognize achievements in promoting European unity.
Zelenskyy’s night flight to Berlin came as Russian forces were conducting airstrikes on Ternopil, a western city home to electronic music duo Tvorchi, then representing Ukraine in the final of the Eurovision Song Contest. This year’s Eurovision competition, won by Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra last year, was held in Liverpool, UK, rather than Ukraine for security reasons.
Fighting has intensified around Bakhmut, the eastern city that Russian forces have been attempting to capture for more than nine months. Moscow Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said on Sunday that one of their colonels was killed in the city and another in a separate front-line battle.
Zelenskyy arrived in Berlin after a trip to Rome, where he met Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who said Rome supported Kiev’s 10-point peace plan.
Italy, which signed a joint statement with Zelenskyy supporting Ukraine’s bid to join the EU and NATO military alliance, has provided around €1 billion in military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine since the start of the conflict, including also Samp-T air defense systems.
Zelenskyi met with Pope Francis, who has been criticized by some Ukrainians for not explicitly denouncing Russia for its full-scale invasion. Pope Francis surprised many when he told reporters in early May that he was involved in a secret “peace mission” that neither Kiev nor Moscow knew about.
While Zelenskyy said he was grateful for the pope’s interest in the plight of the more than 19,000 Ukrainian children who were brought to Russia, he also urged Pope Francis to hold Russia accountable and to hand over the 10-point peace plan to Ukraine support. Earlier this year, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin, citing the forced deportation of Ukrainian children.
“There can be no equality between victims and attackers,” said the Ukrainian president. “I also spoke about our peace formula as the only effective algorithm for a just peace. I have proposed joining its implementation.”
Additional reporting by Giuliana Ricozzi in Rome