\n<\/p>\n
Ukraine and Germany have agreed to future military cooperation in which Berlin will help finance long-range weapons production on Ukrainian soil.<\/p>\n
Defence sector accords between the two allies were due to be signed in Berlin on Wednesday afternoon, said Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, adding that the weapons would be produced in collaboration by Kyiv and Berlin.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur defence ministers will sign a memorandum of understanding today regarding the procurement of Ukrainian-manufactured long-range weapons systems,\u201d Merz told a press conference. \u201cThere will be no range restrictions, allowing Ukraine to fully defend itself, even against military targets outside its own territory.\u201d<\/p>\n
The pact was forged as Zelenskyy arrived in Berlin in search of more support after an intensification of Russian attacks on the country, and amid evidence that Russia was planning a broad summer offensive. It was his third visit to the German capital since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022 and his first since Merz entered office.<\/p>\n
Before the meeting, Zelenskyy said that Russia had amassed 50,000 troops in the Sumy region, coming on top of an increase in drone and missile attacks in recent weeks and a widespread failure to gain ground in peace talks with Russia.<\/p>\n
Merz avoided commenting on speculation as to whether or not Germany was to deploy Taurus missiles, which was sparked in recent days by his pronouncement that range restrictions were no longer in place, enabling Kyiv to strike Russian military targets over the border.<\/p>\n
Neither leader would detail the specific weapons that would be manufactured in Ukraine, saying that it was prudent to keep the information as secretive as possible.<\/p>\n
Zelenskyy said he expected the first weapons to be ready by June 2026.<\/p>\n
The expectation is that Berlin will supply Ukraine with the technical components to build and maintain its own long-range weaponry, including rockets and cruise missiles, with a range of up to 2,500km. This could enable Kyiv to better defend itself, and also save Berlin from accusations \u2013 at home in particular \u2013 that it is a war monger, helping to placate sceptics within elements of Merz\u2019s government who fear Germany being dragged into a wider-scale conflict.<\/p>\n
The two leaders said they believed all the stops had been pulled out to solve the conflict through diplomatic means, repeatedly stressing their conviction that the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, was not interested in ending the bloodshed. But they said they would continue to pursue a negotiated peace, referring to possible talks in Geneva.<\/p>\n
Germany has long supported Kyiv and is the second-biggest deliverer of weapons after the US, but relations between Zelenskyy and Merz\u2019s predecessor, Olaf Scholz, often felt decidedly cool, and Kyiv was evidently repeatedly frustrated by the speed of Berlin\u2019s decisions.<\/p>\n
Merz said while in opposition that he would back Ukraine in office, and Wednesday\u2019s meeting was noticeably warmer and less tense than those between Scholz and Zelenskyy. The two leaders used the informal version of \u201cyou\u201d to address each other, as well as referring to each other by their first names. When Zelenskyy\u2019s microphone appeared to not be connected to the in-house interpreter, Merz quipped \u201cGerman technology\u201d, and laid a supportive hand on Zelenskyy\u2019s arm.<\/p>\n
As well as focusing on Germany\u2019s continued support for Ukraine, the visit was also expected to be used to discuss efforts to bring about a ceasefire in the conflict that has run for three-and-a-half years, the German government spokesperson, Stefan Kornelius, said earlier in the day.<\/p>\n
Almost immediately on entering office earlier this month, Merz took a train to Kyiv with his French and British counterparts, Emmanuel Macron and Keir Starmer, as a sign of their solidarity towards Zelenskyy.<\/p>\n
He greeted Zelenskyy on Wednesday in a rainy Berlin with a military parade outside the chancellery building.<\/p>\n
After meeting with German business leaders and leading parliamentarians, Zelenskyy will spend the night in Berlin. He and Merz are then due to travel to the western German city of Aachen on Thursday, where the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, is to receive a prize. Starmer is also due to attend, and the four leaders are expected to hold further talks there.<\/p>\n
Before the Berlin encounter, Russia\u2019s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, called Merz\u2019s recent plans to build the strongest conventional army in Europe<\/a> \u201cvery worrying\u201d. Speaking at a security conference in Moscow, Lavrov said the announcement was reminiscent of \u201cthe periods of the previous century when Germany twice became the leading military power and how much trouble this brought\u201d.<\/p>\n