Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traveled to Berlin for an unannounced, high-stakes meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Announcing the visit, Merz said it would be different from a trip the Ukrainian president made to the White House last year, an apparent reference to a dressing-down Zelenskiy received from President Donald Trump in the Oval Office in February 2025.
“He’ll be here with me just after midday, and things will be a bit different then,” Merz said at a business conference in Berlin.
Zelenskiy’s trips abroad are typically kept secret until the last minute for security reasons.
European leaders have backed Zelenskiy as he has clashed with Washington in recent weeks over decisions by Trump to buy Russian diesel, suspend some sanctions and call on Kyiv to halt attacks on Russian oil refineries.
Trump has called for Zelenskiy to be replaced and said Russia’s actions were “fine”.
Why it matters?
Germany has become Ukraine’s largest supporter in its war with Russia since Trump returned to office last year and withdrew US financial support.
Washington still provides intelligence to Ukraine and allows other countries to buy US weapons on Kyiv’s behalf.
The visit comes directly ahead of a new round of trilateral peace negotiations between Russia, Ukraine, and the United States, which are scheduled to take place in Abu Dhabi.
The discussions in the German capital focus heavily on aligning European and Ukrainian strategies, coordinating security frameworks, and ensuring European interests are represented ahead of the upcoming international diplomatic tracks.
Chancellor Merz’s administration has also looked at bolstering civilian infrastructure support and air defense coordination alongside these diplomatic pushes.
Concurrently, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff announced that Western allies are organizing alignment meetings in Brussels to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine and post-war architecture prior to the adviser-level sessions in the United Arab Emirates.
