Berlin: On his first trip to Germany since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was greeted by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
Zelensky is in town this Sunday in search of additional arms deliveries to help his nation repel the Russian invasion and financial support to rebuild the things that have been destroyed by the bloody conflict that has raged for more than a year.
Zelensky was transported by a Luftwaffe aircraft from Rome, where he had met with Pope Francis and Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni on Saturday, to Berlin.
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The German government announced a new package of military aid for Ukraine worth more than 2.7 billion euros ($3 billion) on the eve of his arrival, which is occurring under heavy security. The aid includes tanks, anti-aircraft systems, and ammunition.
Berlin is already there. Weapons. a strong package. Air protection. Reconstruction. EU and NATO. Security," Zelensky tweeted on Sunday, seemingly referring to the main concerns of his journey.
Germany has become one of Ukraine's major arms suppliers after initially being reluctant to give the country deadly weapons, such as the sophisticated IRIS-T SLM air-defense system and Leopard 1 and 2 battle tanks. In order for Ukraine to be successful in its intended counteroffensive against Russian forces, modern Western equipment is considered essential.
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Zelensky is anticipated to meet with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier first. Steinmeier was shunned by Kyiv last year, ostensibly because of his prior close ties to Russia, which cooled diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Since then, Zelensky has received assurances from Steinmeier and Chancellor Olaf Scholz that they support his nation's struggle against the Russian invasion. German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said Berlin would support Ukraine for "as long as it takes" when announcing the new arms deal.
The two leaders are anticipated to fly to the western city of Aachen for Zelensky to accept the International Charlemagne Prize awarded to him and the people of Ukraine after meeting Scholz and other senior officials at the chancellery.
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The award, according to the organisers, acknowledges that their resistance to Russia's invasion is a defence "not only of their country's sovereignty and the lives of their citizens, but also of Europe and European values."
German voters are split on whether the nation should provide more weapons, particularly advanced fighter jets of the kind Kyiv is requesting from its allies, despite the country's leaders having expressed strong support for Ukraine.