Germany’s Chancellor Merz promises Ukraine air-defense and winter aid
Chancellor Friedrich Merz pledged further energy and winter assistance at a Berlin meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The planned winter aid would total €200 million (about $223.7 million), news agency dpa said.
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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz promised Ukraine further air-defense and energy assistance and additional winter aid this year during a November 3 meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Berlin. Merz said the new aid for air defense and energy would arrive soon.
The pledge follows agreements on air-defense and energy assistance reached during Merz’s October visit to Kyiv. Merz said Germany was implementing those earlier agreements, alongside the promise of further help.
The additional winter assistance is intended to total €200 million (about $223.7 million), Tagesschau said, citing information from the German news agency dpa. The amount is a planned figure, not a confirmed delivery; Merz did not specify equipment quantities or delivery dates.
Ukraine’s winter needs
Zelenskyy said Ukraine urgently needed more air-defense equipment, including Patriot interceptors, which are used to stop incoming threats. Many Russian attacks have targeted Ukrainian energy infrastructure, while shortages of air-defense equipment have limited Ukraine’s ability to repel attacks, Tagesschau said.
Zelenskyy thanked Germany for helping protect Ukraine’s skies and support its energy infrastructure, saying Ukraine would not be as strong without it. Merz said Germany was helping in its own interest because the war’s outcome would shape European security for a long time.
Supporters to meet in Berlin
Merz said Ukraine’s supporters in the Coalition of the Willing would meet in Berlin on 19 November to agree on the scale of further assistance for 2027, primarily military support. On 20 November 2026, the ninth German-Ukrainian Business Forum is scheduled to discuss deeper cooperation, with German businesses ready to contribute, he said.
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