Merz makes surprise Kyiv visit as Russian strike hits capital's bridge
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz made an unannounced visit to Kyiv on Saturday, pledging fresh military and energy aid, shortly before Russia struck one of the city's bridges over the Dnipro river.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived unannounced in Kyiv on Saturday, his second trip to Ukraine during 18 months in office. Shortly after he stepped off the train at the capital's central railway station, Russian forces struck the North Bridge, roughly a 20-minute drive away. Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed the strike on Telegram, reporting damage to the road surface and emergency crews responding; no casualties have been reported so far.
The attack follows strikes on the city's South Bridge over the preceding days, which had already left three of Kyiv's six road bridges across the Dnipro closed. Russia has increasingly relied on ballistic missiles against Ukrainian cities in recent months — weapons that are extremely difficult to intercept without Patriot air-defence systems, additional stocks of which the United States has yet to supply.
Aid pledge and drone deal
In Kyiv, Merz met President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a makeshift war memorial on Independence Square, where both leaders laid tributes to fallen soldiers. The chancellor is expected to announce €1 billion in military aid along with €350 million to repair Ukraine's energy infrastructure, much of which has been repeatedly targeted by Russian strikes and needs restoration before winter.
Merz is travelling with Germany's economy minister Katherina Reiche and executives from several defence and energy firms, including Siemens Energy, Hensoldt, Diehl Defence and Quantum Systems. The visit is expected to finalise an agreement between German and Ukrainian manufacturers on joint drone production. In a social media post, Merz reiterated Germany's commitment to supporting Ukraine, saying Germany's own security depends on the war's outcome.
At home, Merz faces mounting political pressure, with record-low approval ratings and recent losses for his party in three regional elections. Nonetheless, alongside the leaders of France, Britain and Poland, he remains among Europe's most consistent backers of Ukraine.
