German Chancellor Merz Announces Aid in Kyiv Amid Intensified Russian Attacks

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced a new aid package for Ukraine worth more than 1.3 billion euros (US$1.5 billion) during a visit to Kyiv on Sunday.

This announcement comes as Russia escalated its attacks on Ukrainian cities. About 1 billion euros (US$1.1 billion) of the package is military aid, including long-range strike weapons, combat drones, and satellite technology. Germany is also providing some 350 million euros ($395 million) in energy aid ahead of winter for generators, substations, and repair work. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the two countries also signed 15 agreements worth more than 8.5 billion euros (US$9.6 billion), mostly covering security cooperation, weapons production, and procurement, as well as a deal to expand their joint counter-drone efforts.

Merz stated Germany will fund the joint production of drones designed to intercept Russia’s jet-powered drones. Zelenskyy noted Russia launched 900 jet-powered drones this week alone, with Ukraine intercepting only around half. He also mentioned over 12 turrets designed to counter jet-powered unmanned aerial vehicles have been installed in Kyiv, with another eight due for Kyiv Oblast.

Merz's visit is his second as chancellor and is intended to underscore Germany’s ongoing commitment to Ukraine. He stated, "If Russia is not stopped, its war machine will sooner or later turn against us." Merz and Zelenskyy visited the badly damaged building of Ukraine's Academy of Sciences, where at least two people died in a drone strike last week.

Air raid sirens blared across Kyiv throughout Sunday morning. Kyiv's mayor announced one of the city's bridges had been hit by a Russian drone. Russia's Foreign Ministry announced on Saturday it would persist with mass retaliatory strikes against Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities. Russia's Defense Ministry said it targeted the Northern bridge over the Dnipro River in Kyiv, claiming it was a route used to transport troops and military cargo.

Russia's Defense Ministry stated its recent strikes were a response to Kyiv's attacks on civilian targets inside Russia. Both Russia and Ukraine deny targeting civilians. Zelenskyy told Reuters that Kyiv would step up attacks on Russian oil refineries.