Germany's Merz pledges about €1bn in Ukraine support on Kyiv visit
In short
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz visited Kyiv on the morning of 4 October and presented an aid package of €1 billion from previously approved budget funds for joint defence-industry projects, Kommersant reported, while RIA Novosti, citing Reuters, said he promised Ukraine more than €1 billion in support. Kommersant said the trip, his second to Kyiv in less than 18 months in office, came as his personal approval hit a record low of 10% in an INSA poll on 1 October and as his coalition faced a deep crisis. AfD co-leader Alice Weidel criticised the visit and the aid, citing an energy crisis in Germany.
Read the full story 1 min read
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in Kyiv on the morning of 4 October and presented an aid package of €1 billion drawn from previously approved budget funds for joint projects in the defence industry, Kommersant reported. RIA Novosti, citing Reuters, reported that Merz promised Ukraine more than €1 billion in support. [ 1 , 2 ]
Kommersant said the visit was Merz's second trip to the Ukrainian capital in less than 18 months in power, but that its context differed markedly from the earlier one, with the trip widely seen as intended to divert attention from his problems at home. [ 2 ]
According to Kommersant, the previous week brought a series of record lows for Merz: an INSA poll dated 1 October put his personal rating at 10%, which the outlet said no German leader had recorded since the group began its surveys in 1997. In the same poll, support for his Christian Democrats stood at 18%, while the right-wing Alternative for Germany reached 30%, the report said, adding that a deep crisis inside the coalition of the Christian Democrats and the Social Democrats had required President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to intervene. [ 2 ]
Kommersant noted that the date of the trip was not accidental, as Merz travelled to Kyiv immediately after Germany's Day of National Unity, marked in commemoration of the fall of the Berlin Wall, and that not everyone approved. AfD co-leader Alice Weidel publicly criticised the chancellor for being in Kyiv on a commemorative date for Germany, the outlet reported, and said the allocation of billion-euro aid to Ukraine was taking place against the backdrop of an energy crisis in his home country. [ 2 ]
Why it matters
Germany is one of Ukraine's main backers, and the pledge reported from Kyiv concerns joint defence-industry projects, meaning the visit has direct consequences for military cooperation. According to Kommersant, the trip also plays into German domestic politics, where the chancellor's record-low polling and coalition crisis are being questioned alongside the aid decision.
Key facts
- Friedrich Merz arrived in Kyiv on the morning of Sunday 4 October; Kommersant said it was his second visit to the Ukrainian capital in less than 18 months in office. [ 2 ]
- Kommersant reported that Merz presented an aid package of €1 billion from previously approved budget funds for joint projects in the defence industry. [ 2 ]
- RIA Novosti, citing Reuters, reported that Merz promised Ukraine more than €1 billion in support. [ 1 ]
- An INSA poll dated 1 October put Merz's personal rating at 10%, which Kommersant said no German leader had recorded since the group began its surveys in 1997. [ 2 ]
- The same poll put support for Merz's Christian Democrats at 18% and for the right-wing Alternative for Germany at 30%, according to Kommersant. [ 2 ]
- Kommersant reported a deep crisis inside the ruling coalition of the Christian Democrats and the Social Democrats, which it said President Frank-Walter Steinmeier had to step in to address. [ 2 ]
- AfD co-leader Alice Weidel publicly criticised Merz for being in Kyiv on a commemorative date for Germany and said the billion-euro aid to Ukraine was being allocated amid an energy crisis at home, Kommersant reported. [ 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- Whether the aid is new money: RIA Novosti, citing Reuters, reported a promise of more than €1 billion in support, while Kommersant reported €1 billion from previously approved budget funds intended for joint defence-industry projects. The two documents describe the sum differently and neither states whether it is additional funding.
- The exact purpose and scope of the package, and any conditions attached to it. Only Kommersant mentions joint defence-industry projects; RIA Novosti's report consists of a headline citing Reuters and gives no further detail.
- The exact time of Merz's arrival in Kyiv and the schedule of his meetings. Kommersant says only that he arrived on the morning of 4 October; no time is given in either document.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- RIA Novosti publishes a headline, citing Reuters, that Merz promised Ukraine more than €1 billion in support. [ 1 ]
- Kommersant publishes its account of Merz's morning arrival in Kyiv, his presentation of a €1 billion package from previously approved budget funds for joint defence-industry projects, and the domestic criticism of the trip. [ 2 ]