German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on Sunday, October 4, to announce a new round of military and energy assistance. At the same time, air raid alarms sounded in the area, with reports of explosions.
According to Reuters, Merz’s visit is aimed at demonstrating support for Ukrainian President Zelensky. German government officials said that Merz will announce an aid package, including providing 1 billion euros (around 11.3 billion US dollars) in military assistance and 350 million euros for repairing Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Additionally, Germany and Ukraine are set to finalize a joint production agreement for various types of drones.
Merz stated, “I am going to Kyiv today because Ukraine will need all of our support in the coming weeks.”
He pointed out that Russian forces are bombing towns, residential buildings, and heating facilities and warned that if Russia is not stopped, “sooner or later its war machine will turn towards us.”
Merz said, “Today, I will tell President Zelensky, ‘You can continue to count on our help.'”
Upon Merz’s arrival on Sunday morning, Kyiv experienced four air raid alarms, with sounds of explosions and anti-aircraft system alerts echoing throughout the city.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko stated on Telegram that in one of the attacks, a Russian strike hit the Northern Bridge spanning the Dnieper River, causing damage to the bridge surface and disrupting the local heating supply system.
According to Reuters, since last week, Russia has been targeting bridges in Kyiv in an attempt to sever the connection between the capital’s two shores and logistical routes between central and eastern Ukraine.
Merz’s visit is accompanied by Economic Minister Katherina Reiche and an economic delegation, including top executives from companies such as Siemens Energy, Hensoldt (high-tech defense and security company), Diehl Defence, and Quantum Systems.
Zelensky recently stated that Ukraine will soon finalize production agreements with Germany for drones, missiles, and related software.
A key focus of this collaboration is to expedite the production of drones capable of intercepting Russian aerial targets.
German defense technology company Quantum Systems has previously successfully tested counter-jet drone technology. Ukraine has reported that since this summer, Russia has been using dozens of high-speed jet attack drones daily to target civilian and military infrastructure.
In April, Quantum Systems and Ukrainian drone manufacturer WIY Drones announced the establishment of a joint venture, Quantum WIY Industries, to produce the “Strila” interception drone and related anti-aircraft technology.
Furthermore, the German-Ukrainian cooperation agreement involves jointly developing and producing weapons with a range exceeding 1,000 kilometers for Ukraine to target deeper Russian locations.
On Saturday, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated that Moscow will continue systematic strikes on targets within Ukraine, describing these actions as retaliation for recent attacks on Russia by Ukraine. Additionally, Russia warned foreign citizens and diplomatic personnel not to stay in or travel to Ukraine.
In an interview with Reuters on Saturday, Zelensky stated that the Ukrainian military will increase attacks on Russian refineries in response to Moscow’s escalation of attacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.
Zelensky believes the purpose of Russia’s new wave of attacks is to force residents of Kyiv and other cities to flee their homes.