Zelenskyy Set to Visit Berlin for Talks With Merz Ahead of Abu Dhabi Meeting

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to visit Berlin on Tuesday for talks with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Reuters reported that Merz himself said the visit would take place.

Merz confirmed the trip during an industry speech on Tuesday morning. He said Zelenskyy would be with him in Berlin just after midday. Reports about a possible visit had circulated overnight, according to The Guardian's live coverage.

The meeting comes ahead of next week's trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. "Trilateral" means involving three parties. In this case, the talks are expected to bring together Russia, the United States and Ukraine.

The visit follows a night of heavy strikes, according to Zelenskyy. He said Russia's overnight attacks on Ukraine involved 289 drones, 59 cruise missiles and 17 ballistic missiles. The attacks caused emergency and unscheduled power outages across the country.

Zelenskyy also said that a city hospital in Kharkiv was hit, injuring 73 people. In the Zaporizhzhia region, he said the death toll from a Russian attack in Komyshuvakha had risen to 29.

Merz also spoke about German defence policy. He said Germany's effort to rapidly increase its defence spending last year had been triggered by the public clash between Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, the president's workplace in Washington.

Zelenskyy and Merz have met in Berlin before. In April, the German government said Merz had invited Zelenskyy to German-Ukrainian government consultations, formal meetings between the two governments, and that the two leaders had reached agreements on air defence and drone cooperation during those talks.