German Chancellor Merz arrives in Ukraine for unannounced visit

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Sunday arrived in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv for an unannounced visit, said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.

Merz is expected to hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on bilateral ties and European and international issues, according to Sybiha.

“A very substantive agenda lies ahead today, focused on strengthening Ukraine, our defence and resilience, and our shared European security,” Sybiha wrote on US social media platform X.

He said Ukraine and Germany have built a strong strategic partnership and are determined to deepen it further.

“Just yesterday, Germany celebrated the unity that changed Europe,” he said, referring to German Unity Day, commemorating the nation’s 1990 reunification.

“Today, Ukrainians are defending the freedom, security, and unity of Europe, and Germany stands firmly by our side.”

Merz said he traveled to Kyiv with the message “you can rely on us,” emphasizing on US social media platform X that “Ukraine is facing decisive weeks.”

“Germany's security also depends on the outcome of this war. That is why we are helping out of our own self-interest as well,” he wrote about the Russia-Ukraine war, now in the middle of its fifth year.