Ukraine and Germany discussed air defense and a new format for Drone Deals
Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting in Kyiv with representatives of a German delegation, during which the main focus was on strengthening air defense and protecting Ukraine from Russian attacks. They also discussed new formats for security cooperation and the development of defense technologies. Additionally, they discussed Ukraine’s European integration and political support from Germany.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with Torsten Frey, Federal Minister for Special Tasks and Head of the Office of the German Federal Chancellor, and Martin Jäger, President of the German Federal Intelligence Service, during which the parties focused on issues of security, defense, and political cooperation.
The key topic of the talks was strengthening Ukraine’s air defense system, as Zelenskyy emphasized that Russia continues its massive attacks on Ukrainian territory, and rapidly bolstering air defense is critically important for protecting the civilian population. The President stressed that Ukraine counts on Germany’s continued leadership in supporting defense initiatives.
“These are important signals of support amid the massive Russian offensive. We discussed how to accelerate our agreements with Germany on air defense to protect Ukrainians from such terror,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted.
Separately, the parties discussed a new format of security cooperation called “Drone Deals,” which involves the development and supply of unmanned technologies to strengthen Ukraine’s defense capabilities, as well as broader threats from Russia to European security as a whole.
The meeting also addressed the need for Europe to play a more active role in the negotiation process to achieve a just peace, particularly within the E3 and E5 frameworks, where leading European states coordinate their positions.
A separate segment of the talks focused on Ukraine’s European integration. Zelenskyy emphasized the importance of opening all negotiation clusters and is counting on Germany’s support in this process, noting that this would send an important political signal to Ukrainian society.
In addition, the president thanked Germany for supporting the EU’s decision on a €90 billion loan and stressed the importance of quickly launching the funding, particularly for the production of drones that will strengthen Ukraine’s defense against Russian strikes.
Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga will be visiting Chisinau on May 14–15 to participate in a meeting of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. The main event will be the signing by more than 30 states of an agreement to establish a Steering Committee for the Special Tribunal on the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine.
