After his trip to Rome yesterday, the Ukrainian president is in Berlin this Sunday, May 14. Volodymyr Zelensky was received this morning by President Steinmeier and Chancellor Olaf Scholz. This visit was preceded by the announcement by Germany of military aid on an unprecedented scale. This is Volodymyr Zelensky’s first visit to Berlin since the beginning of the Russian invasion, Germany and Ukraine having come very close.
With our correspondent in Berlin, Pascal Thibault
Relations have not always been easy with Germany, which kyiv blamed for delaying the first months, starting with arms deliveries. President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, whom Volodymy Zelensky met at the start of the morning, had even been declared persona non grata in Ukraine where he was criticized in the past for a policy deemed to be too comprehensive with regard to the Kremlin.
Ukrainian President warmly thanked Olaf Scholz at a press conference in the Chancellery for Berlin’s support -des additional arms deliveries of 2.7 billion euros were announced yesterday. Germany is the second country after the United States for these arms deliveries.
Asked whether these new German deliveries would allow the launch of the Ukrainian counter-offensive, Volodymyr Zelensky replied that a few additional visits abroad were still necessary for his country to be ready.
The Ukrainian president also wants to obtain the support of various countries to obtain combat planes and announces that he will turn to Germany. Berlin has so far rejected such deliveries. Olaf Scholz and Volodymyr Zelensky must after their meeting fly away together for Aix-la-Chapelle where the Ukrainian president will receive the prestigious European Charlemagne prize.