Zelensky and Merz discuss Leipzig airfield attack, announce new air-defense packages
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held a phone call with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, during which the two leaders discussed an attack on an airfield in Leipzig that Zelensky described as a Russian escalation. Zelensky announced that Ukraine will receive new German air-defense packages in September, and the two sides are finalizing a bilateral drone cooperation agreement.
Key points
- Zelensky and Merz held a phone call on the day of the announcement; Zelensky reported the conversation on social media.
- The leaders discussed an attack on an airfield in Leipzig, which Zelensky called a Russian escalation.
- Merz informed Zelensky about Germany's response measures to the Leipzig incident.
- Ukraine will receive new air-defense packages from Germany in September, Zelensky announced.
- According to German media t-online, citing government sources, Germany plans to deliver additional Iris-T air-defense missiles and several thousand strike drones to Ukraine in September.
- Teams from Ukraine and Germany are finalizing a bilateral drone cooperation agreement called Drone Deal.
- Zelensky and Merz agreed to hold an in-person meeting.
Why it matters
The call signals continued and expanded German military support to Ukraine at a time of renewed Russian strikes, with air-defense deliveries announced for September. By tying the conversation to an incident on German soil in Leipzig, Kyiv is framing German support as responding to a direct German security threat from Russia. Moving forward with the Drone Deal also broadens the bilateral defense relationship beyond weapons transfers, and the planned in-person meeting points to an intensification of political engagement between Kyiv and Berlin.
What happened
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a phone call with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and reported the contents on social media. A central topic was an attack on an airfield in Leipzig, which Zelenskyy characterized as another Russian escalation. Merz briefed Zelenskyy on the measures Germany has taken in response to the Leipzig incident, and Zelenskyy said Ukraine is ready to assist Germany with expertise or in other areas. Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine will receive new air-defense packages from Germany in September. According to the German outlet t-online, citing government sources, those packages are expected to include additional Iris-T air-defense missiles and several thousand strike drones, and Germany is planning this military aid in response to the alleged Russian sabotage in Leipzig. The two leaders also discussed the Drone Deal, a bilateral drone cooperation agreement whose text is being finalized by teams on both sides, and they agreed to meet in person.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
All available sources are Ukrainian-language media reporting on Zelenskyy's own account of the call. The coverage centers his statements and his framing of the Leipzig airfield incident as a Russian escalation, and emphasizes Zelenskyy's gratitude to Merz for German leadership and support in protecting Ukrainian lives. The announcement of new air-defense packages is presented as the central outcome of the conversation.