German cooperation with Ukraine: Multiple air alerts during Merz's visit to Kyiv

For a long time, the people of Kyiv could be sure that there would be peace and quiet from Russian air strikes on days and nights when high-ranking Western politicians were in the Ukrainian capital. A few weeks ago, President Volodymyr Zelenskyj half-jokingly offered former US negotiator Keith Kellogg a free apartment in the city. Because while Kellogg is in Kyiv, Zelensky said, there are no Russian attacks on Kyiv. Kellogg works better than air defense.

Today things are different. When Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Economics Minister Katherine Reiche (both CDU) accompanied a business delegation visited Kyiv on Sunday, they were greeted by Russia with an air strike on the city's most important bridge. The day before, the Russian Foreign Ministry had explicitly warned Europeans against traveling and staying in Ukraine.

The Kyiv Zifrovijj warning app, which warns of air strikes, did not stand still throughout the morning. Warnings and all-clears alternated over a dozen times in the morning alone, the highlight of the visit program. From the end of September through the weekend, at least 20 civilians were killed and many more injured by Russian airstrikes in Ukraine.

Merz and Reiche arrived in Kyiv early in the morning by special train and were received at the train station by Foreign Minister Andrij Sybiha. The Chancellor then joined Zelensky in remembering the people who lost their lives in the war. Zelenskyj thanked Germany for its support and solidarity with the Ukrainian people.

Merz and Zelensky visited the damaged ruins of the National Academy of Sciences, which had previously been hit by a Russian drone. He called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war.

The talks with Zelenskyy covered bilateral relations, European security and international issues. In addition to the release of one billion euros for military aid, Merz announced a further 350 million euros for the repair and reconstruction of damaged power plants. This is particularly important for the Ukrainian side ahead of the approaching winter.

Zelensky explained afterwards that the total value of the fifteen agreements reached with Germany on Sunday was 8.5 billion euros. The German support package for the Ukrainian government includes joint arms production, drone defense, long-range weapons systems and energy supply resilience. The planned new collaboration on weapons with a range of more than 1,000 kilometers is noteworthy.

“If Russia is not stopped, sooner or later its war machine will turn against us,” explained Merz. The partnership is not a one-way street. "German and Ukrainian companies are developing technologies together that benefit both countries. This makes us safer and stronger."

Zelensky also announced an expansion of Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries. This is the Ukrainian reaction to a new Russian strategy that tries to persuade the population to leave Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities through attacks on infrastructure and cities.

Zelensky told Reuters that Ukraine's intelligence services had documents that pointed to a new Russian "doctrine" for air strikes. Russia has therefore significantly expanded the list of possible targets. This included infrastructure, logistics, roads, schools and hospitals. In an initial reaction, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that Russia would expand its attacks on Ukraine.

At the diplomatic level, Zelensky said on Sunday that the US had proposed a new trilateral meeting at the technical level between representatives of the US, Ukraine and Russia before the end of October. He himself is available to meet directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin “at any time”. Putin has so far rejected this.

Meanwhile, Kyrillo Budanov, head of the Ukrainian presidential administration, said that over 26,000 bodies have been returned to Ukraine as part of repatriation measures. The last repatriation to date took place on September 17, when 252 bodies arrived in Ukraine.

According to Ukrainian reports, 19 people were injured in Russian air strikes in the Ukrainian city of Sumy on Sunday. According to Russian information, one person died in a Ukrainian drone attack on the Russian city of Belgorod at the weekend, and three people are said to have died in further attacks on Russian-occupied Ukrainian locations.