President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hailed Germany as ‘a true friend and reliable ally’ after announcing it would provide 2.7 billion euros in additional military aid to Ukraine and build an arms factory in the country.
Zelensky’s visit to Germany on Sunday, his first since Russia full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 marks a significant improvement in bilateral relations after kyiv, at the start of the war, accused Germany of dithering in its support for Ukraine.
Zelenskyy met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and other officials a day after visiting Rome to meet Italian leaders and Pope Francis.
Germany, which decided in January to send its Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine, announced on Saturday that it would provide the country with additional weapons worth 2.7 billion euros to Ukraine. According to the German Defense Ministry, Berlin has provided 4.2 billion euros in military aid since 2022.
German heavy weapons maker Rheinmetall said on Saturday it would build a tank repair and maintenance plant in Ukraine as part of a joint venture with state defense group Ukroboronprom.
Deliveries will include 18 self-propelled howitzers, four IRIS-T SLM air defense systems, 30 former Leopard 1 MBTs and 20 Marder infantry fighting vehicles, as well as artillery ammunition. In a post on Twitter, Zelenskyy called the deal “the biggest military aid package since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion” and said the German equipment was “saving Ukrainian lives and bringing us closer to victory”.
Reflecting the improved ties, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Germany would help “as long as it takes” to end the “Russian war against the Ukrainian people”. In April of last year, Steinmeier canceled a visit to Ukraine after admitting he would not be welcome, despite the German president meeting his Ukrainian counterpart in Kyiv in October.
Rheinmetall chief executive Armin Papperger said on Saturday that the German arms maker would “jointly produce selected Rheinmetall products in Ukraine” with Ukroboronprom.
On Sunday, Zelenskyy and Scholz traveled to the western German city of Aachen, where the President of Ukraine and the people of his country will receive an award to honor achievements in promoting the European unification.
Zelenskyy’s night flight to Berlin came as Russian forces carried out airstrikes on Ternopil, a western town home to electronic music duo Tvorchi who at the time represented Ukraine in the final of the Eurovision Song Contest. Won last year by the Kalush Orchestra of Ukraine, this year’s Eurovision Song Contest was held in Liverpool in the UK instead of Ukraine due to security concerns.
Fighting around Bakhmut, the eastern town that Russian forces have been trying to capture for more than nine months, has intensified. Moscow Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said on Sunday that one of his colonels was killed in the city and another on a separate front line. battle.
Zelenskyy arrived in Berlin after a trip to Rome, where he met Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who said Rome approved of Kiev’s 10-point peace plan.
Italy, which signed a joint statement with Zelenskyy supporting Ukraine’s bid to join the EU-NATO military alliance, has contributed around 1 billion euros in military and humanitarian aid to the Ukraine since the beginning of the conflict, including Samp-T air defense systems.
Zelenskyy met with Pope Francis, who has been criticized by some Ukrainians for his reluctance to explicitly denounce Russia for its full-scale invasion. Pope Francis surprised many when he told reporters in early May that he was involved in a secret “peace mission” neither Kyiv nor Moscow said they knew anything about.
While Zelenskyy said he was grateful for the pontiff’s interest in the fate of more than 19,000 Ukrainian children taken to Russia, he also called on Pope Francis to hold Russia to account and support Ukraine’s 10-point peace plan. The International Criminal Court announced earlier this year arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putinciting forced deportations of Ukrainian children.
“There can be no equality between the victim and the aggressor”, declared the Ukrainian president. “I also talked about our peace formula as the only effective algorithm for a just peace. I offered to join its implementation.
Additional reporting by Giuliana Ricozzi in Rome
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