Germany's Merz arrives in Kyiv to the sound of sirens and explosions

The sound of air raid sirens and explosions rang out in Ukraine's capital Kyiv on Sunday as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz visited President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, pledging support for Ukraine and urging Russia to halt its escalating attacks.

Merz will announce a package of measures including the release of €1 billion ($1.13 billion) in military aid and €350 million for repairs in the energy sector, German government officials said. A deal for joint production of various kinds of drones is also due to be finalised.

The two leaders visited the badly damaged building of Ukraine's Academy of Sciences, where at least two people died in a drone strike last week as Russia pounded the heart of Kyiv with some of the most persistent drone strikes since the start of the war in 2022.

"I can only repeat it once again from this point: Mr Putin, put an end to this senseless war," Merz said.

"We are ready for talks, we are ready to discuss bringing this war to an end, but these barbaric attacks on the civilian population of Ukraine must stop," he added.

Four air raid alerts were heard across the capital on Sunday morning, and explosions and air defence systems also sounded across the city.

One of the Russian strikes hit the Northern Bridge across the Dnipro River, damaging its roadway, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram. He said the strike had injured two people and damaged a hot water supply system in the area.

Russia has been attacking Kyiv's bridges since last week in an effort to disrupt links between the capital's two banks and logistics routes between central and eastern Ukraine.

MERZ SEEKS PROGRESS ON EU-BACKED REFORMS

Merz is accompanied on the visit by Economy Minister Katherina Reiche and an economic delegation including executives from Siemens Energy, Hensoldt, Diehl Defence, Quantum Systems and other companies.

Merz is also expected to press the Ukrainian government for progress on reforms requested by EU partners, including in the fight against corruption.

Zelenskiy said on Wednesday, after speaking to Merz by phone, that Ukraine would soon finalise a deal with Germany for the production of drones, missiles and related software.

A key focus of the agreement is expected to be the rapid production of anti-jet drones, which Quantum, a German defence-technology company, has successfully tested. Since the summer, Russia has used dozens of high-speed jet attack drones daily to target civilian and military infrastructure.

In April, Quantum and Ukrainian manufacturer WIY Drones announced the creation of Quantum WIY Industries, a joint venture to produce the Strila interceptor drone and related air-defence technologies.

INCREASED COOPERATION ON LONG-RANGE WEAPONS

The deal also involves the joint development and production of weapons with a range of more than 1,000 km (600 miles) that Ukraine can use to launch attacks deep inside Russia.

Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Saturday that Moscow would continue to systematically hit targets in Ukraine in what it said were retaliatory strikes for Ukrainian attacks on Russia in recent months. It warned foreign nationals and diplomatic staff against staying in or travelling to Ukraine.

Zelenskiy told Reuters on Saturday his country's armed forces would double down on their attacks on oil refineries in Russia in response to Moscow's "new doctrine" of escalating attacks on civilian infrastructure, which he said was aimed at forcing residents of Kyiv and other cities to flee.

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