Merz pledges €1B in new military aid in Kyiv as Zelenskyy says Ukraine is ready for U.S.-backed talks

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz used a visit to Kyiv on Sunday to announce roughly €1 billion in new military aid for Ukraine, along with €350 million for repairs to its battered energy system. Air-raid sirens and explosions sounded across the capital during the visit, CNBC reported, as Russia pressed a weeks-long drone campaign against Ukrainian infrastructure.

At a joint news conference, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine is ready to join three-way talks with the United States and Russia this month. According to Al Jazeera, he said Washington is pushing for technical-level meetings by the end of October and that the United Arab Emirates, which has hosted earlier rounds, could be the venue again. U.S. mediation had been on hold since Washington launched its war on Iran.

Zelenskyy said U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff had messaged him urging a return to talks as soon as possible. He added that Western allies need to put more pressure on Moscow. The Kremlin said last month that it did not rule out a trilateral meeting in October.

Merz declined to give a detailed breakdown of the military package. Kyiv Post reported that it focuses on air defence, long-range strike weapons, combat drones and satellite communications, while the energy money will go to substations, mobile generators and emergency power ahead of winter. The outlet also reported Merz's pledge to fast-track 1,000 newly developed interceptors built to bring down jet-powered Shahed-type drones.

Business deals were a big part of the trip. German officials said executives travelling with Merz signed 14 agreements worth about €6.6 billion. They include IRIS-T air defence missiles from Diehl Defence, radar equipment from Hensoldt and jet-powered drone interceptors from Quantum Systems. Zelenskyy put the total higher, citing 15 agreements and documents worth more than €8.5 billion.

The visit played out under fire. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said a Russian strike on Sunday damaged the roadway of the city's Northern Bridge and injured two people. Merz and Zelenskyy toured the National Academy of Sciences, where a drone strike last week killed two people, and Merz appealed directly to Vladimir Putin to “put an end to this senseless war.”

“We are ready for talks, we are ready to discuss bringing this war to an end, but these barbaric attacks on the civilian population of Ukraine must stop,” Merz said, according to CNBC. Zelenskyy called Russia's bombardment of bridges and power infrastructure the “maximum escalation of this war” and vowed Ukraine would respond.

Moscow showed no sign of easing off. Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Saturday that it would keep striking targets in Ukraine in what it called retaliation for Ukrainian attacks, and it warned foreign nationals not to travel there. Russia has said it is targeting Ukraine's energy sector as winter approaches.

Merz said Germany, France and the United Kingdom plan to hold a Coalition of the Willing meeting in Berlin this winter to coordinate further help for Ukraine. EU leaders also meet in Brussels on Oct. 15 and 16, and on Sunday India said it wants a bigger role in mediating an end to the war.