Merz visits Kyiv as Germany weighs aid and drone plans

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in Kyiv on October 4 with Economy Minister Katherina Reiche and a delegation of German business and defense-sector representatives, seeking to reaffirm Germany’s support for Ukraine and discuss further military and economic cooperation. German officials said Merz was expected to announce aid and advance plans for joint drone production, but the reported terms had not been formally confirmed in the accounts available during the visit. Merz said after arriving that Ukraine needed Germany’s support in the coming weeks and that he would tell President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Ukraine could continue to count on German help. He said Russian forces were attacking Ukrainian towns, residential buildings and heating plants, and warned that Russia’s war machine could threaten others if it was not stopped. German officials said the expected assistance included €1 billion in military aid and €350 million for repairs to Ukraine’s energy sector. Another account described anticipated military commitments that included thousands of interceptor drones, while a separate report cited a figure of 1,000 systems.