Zelenskyy to Make Unexpected Berlin Visit for Talks With Merz

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to make an unexpected visit to Berlin, Germany, for talks with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The visit comes ahead of next week's trilateral talks with Russia and the United States in Abu Dhabi.

Rumours about Zelenskyy's possible visit had been swirling since last night, and Merz himself confirmed the visit during an industry speech on Tuesday morning. The Ukrainian president's trips are usually kept secret until the last moment for security reasons.

Merz said Zelenskyy would be with him just after midday, and that things would be a bit different this time. He also recalled last year's infamous showdown between Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump at the White House's Oval Office.

Before arriving in Berlin, Zelenskyy condemned Russia's overnight attacks. He said the attacks on critical infrastructure across the country were causing emergency and unscheduled power outages.

According to Zelenskyy's account, the attacks involved 289 drones, 59 cruise missiles and 17 ballistic missiles. Civilian buildings were also hit, including a city hospital in Kharkiv, where 73 people were injured.

He added that a rescue operation has been underway since yesterday in Komyshuvakha, in the Zaporizhzhia region, and that the death toll there has risen. In his words, Russia has killed 29 people.

Zelenskyy said it was very telling that all of this was happening on the day of the US congressional elections. He said the Russians believe America will not notice this signal, but such terror must be noticed and stopped, and Ukraine must be helped to defend its skies, otherwise Russia will never stop its missile strikes. He said it is essential to help build peace honestly and reliably, and America can do that.

In his speech, Merz said the German push to rapidly increase defence spending last year was triggered by the scenes in the Oval Office. In his words, what was experienced last year led him to conclude that Europe must ensure, on its own, that it is capable of defending itself.

Merz added that this was not meant to question Nato, but to strengthen it. In his words, Nato is being made more European so that it can remain transatlantic.