Merz visits Kyiv as Russia strikes bridge and Germany pledges interceptors

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in Kyiv on an unannounced visit on Sunday, bringing a military aid package and a direct message of support for President Volodymyr Zelensky as Russian attacks on the Ukrainian capital continue.

Mr Merz arrived with the heads of several defence companies. He said President Zelensky could count on German support and warned that Russia's war machine would turn on others unless it was stopped. The package is expected to include 1 billion euros in military aid and 350 million euros for repairs to Ukraine's energy sector, which has been hit hard by the war. Germany is also planning to supply Ukraine with 1,000 interceptors to counter Russian jet drones that have been targeting bridges in Kyiv.

Bridge attacks and disruption

The visit came amid intensified Russian attacks on Kyiv. Two key bridges over the Dnipro river have been hit in the past week. The northern bridge was hit by a drone or a cruise missile, striking the roadway as people crossed in cars, buses, trucks, on bikes or on foot. It had also been hit the day before. There have been five strikes on the southern bridge. Russia said its drones had hit the two bridges used to transfer Ukrainian troops and military cargo. Shortly after Mr Merz arrived, Russia once again struck one of the key bridges across the Dnipro.

Kyiv has eight river crossings in total for roads and railways. About a million people live on that bank of the Dnieper river, many of whom work in the city centre. Half a million vehicles cross every day. The damage has caused gridlock, and repairs have left traffic flowing in limited numbers. Officials are preparing plans for temporary pontoon bridges or ferry services, and even a tunnel under the river, but that would take a huge amount of time. Kyiv's mayor, Vitaly Klitschko, said Russia is trying to tear the city apart. Russia has warned foreign citizens that its strikes will continue and that those who do not leave the city are potentially at risk.

At the scene of damage in Kyiv, Mr Merz called directly on Russia to end the war. He said: 'Mr. Putin, will you stop this senseless war? We're ready to talk.' He said the barbaric attacks on Ukraine's civilian population must stop and described them as daily war crimes. He also spoke of the futility of the war at a site near an attack on the Academy of Sciences last Monday, a few hundred metres from the German embassy. An air alarm sounded in Kyiv on what he called a peaceful Sunday morning.

The visit was seen as a vote of confidence in President Zelensky. Peter Zalmayev, director of the Eurasian Democracy Initiative, said it was a very reassuring message to Ukrainians that Europe stands with them. He pointed to recent Russian threats to European diplomats, which encouraged them to vacate the capital or risk Russian strikes. Western embassies evacuated Kyiv for Lviv early in the war. This time, the head of the European Commission said that would not happen and that they were staying put.