Merz promises more help for Ukraine and appeals to Europeans

Russian attacks on the energy infrastructure, rocket strikes in the cities: Ukraine is threatened with a harsh winter of war. Chancellor Merz promises support - but also calls for more commitment

Zelensky visit to Berlin Merz secures further winter aid for Ukraine as of: November 3rd, 2026 • 5:08 p.m

Russian attacks on the energy infrastructure, rocket strikes in the cities: Ukraine is threatened with a harsh winter of war. Chancellor Merz promises support - but also calls for more commitment from European partners.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz has promised Ukraine additional help before the difficult winter. “We will continue our help until this war is over,” said the CDU politician after a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Berlin.

According to information from the dpa news agency, the additional winter aid will amount to 200 million euros, including 100 million in the budget of the Foreign Office and 100 million as part of development policy. Merz emphasized several times that Germany was helping Ukraine in its own interest. “The outcome of this war will shape European security for a long time,” he said.

The Chancellor also thanked the German economy for its support to Ukraine. No company has left Ukraine since the war began.

Matthias Deiß, ARD Berlin, with information about the security conference in Berlin tagesschau24, November 3rd, 2026 • 2:00 p.m. "All Europeans bear responsibility" Merz also called on European partners to provide further help for Ukraine. Germany is continuing its support unchanged, he said. "But one thing is also clear: all Europeans have responsibility, not just the Germans." NATO has agreed on military support for Ukraine worth 70 billion euros for 2026. “We also have to ensure that all partners fulfill this obligation,” said Merz.

According to the Chancellor, there will be a meeting with Ukraine supporters united in the "Coalition of the Willing" in Berlin on November 19th. Merz announced that a large number of heads of state and government would come to Berlin. “We will make arrangements for 2027 to determine the extent to which we will continue to help.” The main focus will be on military support.

The possible attack is said to have killed at least one crew member. more

So far he has not seen any serious willingness on the part of Russia to negotiate, said Merz. It is now necessary "for Russia to really seriously negotiate a ceasefire and a subsequent peace agreement." In any case, Ukraine's supporters are "trying at every level to bring this war to an end - and we are not missing any diplomatic efforts."

If Russian President Vladimir Putin accepts US President Donald Trump's invitation to the G20 summit in Florida, "Ukraine must be discussed first and foremost" at the meeting next month, Merz said. "And when people talk about Ukraine, the president of Ukraine has to be at the table."

Russia has intensified its attacks on Ukraine in recent months, resulting in a significant increase in the number of civilian casualties. Many of the attacks target Ukraine's energy infrastructure - the country could therefore face a particularly harsh winter of war. The Ukrainian air defense is suffering from a lack of material and cannot adequately repel the attacks.

Merz also criticized Russia's recent attacks on cargo ships in the Black Sea. “Russia is creating a global food crisis,” he said, “at the expense of the poorest states and the poorest countries in the world.”

The USA, Russia and Ukraine last spoke to each other in a three-way format in February. more

According to US information, representatives from Ukraine, Russia and the USA will meet on November 10th and 11th in the Gulf Emirate of Abu Dhabi. This advances Trump's "mission" to end the war, wrote US special envoy Steve Witkoff on

The priorities in the talks would be the energy industry and critical infrastructure, said Zelensky. "That means a ceasefire on attacks on it." The second point he mentioned was grain and an end to the blockade of transport across the Black Sea. “Russia and other countries in Africa and Asia are also interested in this.” The third aspect is an exchange of prisoners for all. Ultimately, a trilateral meeting at the level of state leaders is necessary. The presence of Europe is desirable.

Merz and Selenskyj insisted on Europe's participation in peace talks in the Ukraine war. “We share a common view with Friedrich that there can be no stable peace without the Europeans being involved in the negotiations in one format or another,” said Zelensky. The Chancellor said a new round of peace talks was now the right step. "Europe must and wants to play a role in this process. Central elements of a peace solution, be it sanctions or security architecture, can only be solved with us Europeans."

Witkoff had said that US negotiators would also meet with representatives from Europe and NATO in Brussels this week.