Brussels Edition

Show of Strength in Berlin as Merz Urges Action on Ukraine Loan

Merz welcomed Zelenskiy in Berlin amid calls for an €90 billion EU loan to be unlocked by Hungary
Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ukraine’s president, left, and Friedrich Merz, Germany’s chancellor, during a news conference at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, in December 2025.Photographer: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg

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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz welcomed his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Berlin with full military honors today, as their governments held talks on defense and industrial cooperation.

The two countries signed two memorandums of understanding – one on closer defense cooperation, the other focused on industrial cooperation and reconstruction of Ukraine – as they pledged to accelerate the development of anti-ballistic missile air defense and establish drone co-production ventures.