Zelensky visits Berlin for talks with German leaders and security conference
President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Berlin with his team on 3 November and met Chancellor Friedrich Merz, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Bundestag President Julia Klöcker. He also attended the Berlin Security Conference, where the main topics included diplomatic coordination, strengthening Ukraine’s air defences and supporting the energy sector.
Key points
- Zelensky arrived in Berlin with his team on 3 November.
- He met Chancellor Friedrich Merz, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Bundestag President Julia Klöcker.
- Zelensky and Merz held talks and a joint lunch.
- Zelensky attended the Berlin Security Conference.
- Talks focused on diplomatic coordination, air defence and support for Ukraine’s energy sector.
- Ukraine, Russia and the United States were expected to hold talks in Abu Dhabi on 10–11 November.
- US negotiators were due to meet European and NATO representatives in Brussels to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine.
Why it matters
The Berlin meetings placed Ukraine’s air-defence needs, energy security and wider European support at the centre of discussions with Germany’s leadership. The visit also coincided with US-European-NATO talks in Brussels and scheduled Ukraine-Russia-US negotiations in Abu Dhabi, linking bilateral German backing with broader efforts over security guarantees and peace.
What happened
President Zelensky arrived in Berlin with his team on Tuesday, 3 November, for a visit that had initially been withheld from public announcement for security reasons. He met Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the chancellor’s office, then held talks and a joint lunch with him. Zelensky also met President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Bundestag President Julia Klöcker and attended the Berlin Security Conference. He identified diplomatic coordination, stronger Ukrainian air defences and support for the energy sector as the principal priorities of his Berlin meetings. Separately, US envoy Steve Witkoff said representatives of Ukraine, Russia and the United States would meet in Abu Dhabi on 10–11 November, with the US acting as mediator.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian coverage focused on Zelensky’s meetings with Germany’s leaders, his stated priorities and his participation in the Berlin Security Conference. Reports also connected the visit with parallel European security discussions and preparations for negotiations involving Ukraine and Russia.
How international sources describe it
German coverage highlighted Merz’s reception of Zelensky at the chancellor’s office. Internationally, the visit took place alongside a planned meeting in Brussels between US negotiators and representatives of France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the EU and NATO.
Background
The visit was initially kept secret for security reasons before Merz announced it during a speech at the Berlin Chamber of Industry and Commerce. Parts of Berlin’s government district were closed, and police deployed an additional 3,400 officers. The Berlin Security Conference brings together defence representatives, military experts and scholars to discuss military threats and security policy. This year’s conference was expected to feature more than 140 speakers.