Kyiv, 4 October, 2026 (Kamran Raja): German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in Kyiv on Sunday in a show of solidarity with Ukraine as Russia intensified aerial attacks on Ukrainian cities. Merz, making his second visit to Kyiv as chancellor, said Germany would continue to support Ukraine and warned that Russia’s war machine could eventually threaten other European countries if Moscow was not stopped. Germany has provided Ukraine with more than €43.3 billion in aid, equipment and weapons since the war began. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Germany for its support, saying the two countries would reach important agreements aimed at strengthening Ukraine’s defenses and broader European security. Merz and Zelenskyy visited a damaged building of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in central Kyiv as air raid sirens sounded across the capital. Merz condemned attacks on Ukrainian civilians and called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to end what he described as a senseless war, while saying Germany remained ready for dialogue. Zelenskyy said Russia was continuing its strikes even during the German chancellor’s visit and thanked Ukraine’s international partners for their support.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Moscow would continue carrying out mass retaliatory strikes against Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities and urged foreign nationals and diplomats to leave Ukraine. Russian-German relations have deteriorated further in recent weeks following an alleged drone attack near Leipzig airport, which Germany blamed on Russia. On Sunday, Russian attacks also continued against Kyiv, with a drone striking the Northern Bridge over the Dnipro River and injuring two people, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko. One person was killed and 16 others were wounded in a Russian aerial bomb attack on the Ukrainian city of Sumy, local officials said. Russia’s Defense Ministry said it would intensify strikes against military and military-industrial facilities and related infrastructure in Kyiv and other Ukrainian regions following Zelenskyy’s remarks that Ukraine would increase attacks on Russian oil refineries. The latest escalation comes as fighting along the roughly 1,250-kilometer front line remains largely deadlocked, with no clear signs of an imminent peace settlement.