Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has started the meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Tuesday in Berlin.
“German-Ukrainian government consultations are taking place today at the Chancellery,” the German government spokesman said ahead of the meeting. “Chancellor Merz will welcome, among others, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, to Berlin.”
Presidential spokesman Serhiy Nikiforov, as per the European Pravda outlet, said that Zelensky had arrived in the German capital.
The leaders’ meeting was expected to begin at 11:45 a.m. Kyiv time. Following its conclusion, a joint press conference and the signing of documents are scheduled for 1:10 p.m.
A plenary session of intergovernmental consultations, with the participation of the Ukrainian President and the German Chancellor, is expected to take place from 1:55 to 3:00 p.m.
Germany has become Ukraine’s biggest backer in its four-year war against Russia’s invasion as the United States under President Donald Trump has cut back on support, and Kyiv is keen to keep Berlin on side.
The meeting comes as US-initiated peace talks between Russia and Ukraine have stalled, with Kyiv baulking at the idea it could cede territory to Russia.
Germany is also keen to tap Ukraine’s expertise in modern warfare in the face of a perceived threat from Moscow, with Zelensky in February visiting a plant outside Munich that makes drones based on Ukrainian designs.
Ukraine’s Social Minister Denys Uliutin is also scheduled to meet German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt at a “Unity Hub” in Berlin, a culture and citizens’ advice centre set up for Ukrainian refugees in Germany.
Defence ministers allied to Kyiv and NATO chief Mark Rutte are also meeting Wednesday in Berlin as part of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group.