Germany has announced a new military aid package for Ukraine worth around 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion), as Russia escalates its drone strikes on Ukrainian telecoms, industry, and transport infrastructure.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced the aid package during a trip to Kyiv on Sunday, where he described Germany as Ukraine’s strongest supporter.
“We’re launching another package of military support worth around 1 billion euros,” Merz said at a press conference alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
He said that Germany was providing funding for the joint production of anti-jet drones, which he said would strengthen Ukrainian air defenses “quickly and noticeably.”
Merz continued that Berlin would be supplying combat drones, satellite technology, and standoff weapons to counter Russian missile launch sites.
He added that Germany would provide around 350 million euros ($392 million) for repairs to Ukraine’s energy sector, as well as for generators and substations, which he said would help mitigate damage from Russian attacks on energy infrastructure.
“We are facing a potentially very difficult winter,” he said. “Moscow is not only shelling the city and other major cities, but also specifically targeting energy infrastructure: power plants, substations, gas stations, and railway lines.”
Merz declined to give further details of the military aid package in a questions section following the speech.
Nevertheless, he said that “it is no secret that this support focuses primarily on two essential capabilities of the Ukrainian army for its defense: one is air defense, for which the Ukrainian army requires further deliveries, and the second is all communication, particularly communication from space.”
Business Deals
Alongside the German government’s delegation, members of the country’s business sector also traveled to Ukraine, signing 14 agreements with the Ukrainian government and businesses worth around 6.6 billion euros ($7.4 billion).
Among those deals was an agreement with Diehl Defence for the supply of IRIS-T air defense missiles, a deal with Hensoldt for radar equipment, and an agreement with Quantum Systems for jet drone interceptors.
Russia has increased its use of jet drones against Ukraine in recent weeks. So far, there are no effective means of countering jet drones, other than using combat aircraft.
Following the meeting, Zelenskyy thanked Merz for Berlin’s support, writing on X that Germany and Ukraine were mutually aiding each other, including through joint drone production.
“What is important about this visit is that Germany is not only helping Ukraine – Ukraine is also sharing its knowledge and experience, placing orders, and co-producing. These are jobs for Germany and for Ukraine. And we plan to work across many areas,” he said.
Germany has reinforced its resolve to support Ukraine after it had officially laid blame for the attempted drone attack on Leipzig/Halle Airport in August on Russia—an accusation that Moscow denied.
Merz referenced hybrid attacks during his trip to Kyiv, which he said Germany was experiencing “daily.”
Last week, Merz said that Germany is preparing for more hybrid attacks amid increasing warnings from European authorities that Russia is likely to escalate covert operations against the West.
Russia has denied that it is involved in committing any covert attacks against Europe and has instead accused NATO countries of falsely blaming Moscow in order to increase tensions.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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