Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Berlin for a previously unannounced meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Zelensky was due to take part in a series of video calls with European leaders before the upcoming meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15.
Reportedly he would first take part in a video conference with Merz and several key European leaders from 2pm on August 13.
The participants included the heads of states of France, the UK, Italy, Poland and Finland – as well as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Antonio Costa and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
Subsequently, a video conference with Trump and his Vice-President JD Vance was scheduled for 3pm. Merz reportedly said, following that, he wanted to discuss the results with French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Finally, in the late afternoon Zelensky and Merz – who initiated the meeting – were due to give a joint press statement.
Before the visit, Zelensky said he was pessimistic that the meeting in Alaska would end the war with Russia as Moscow had no interest in ceasing hostilities.
Europe, the US and Ukraine would have to force Russia into peace instead, requiring more pressure, Zelensky wrote on Telegram.
His surprise visit has also stretched the resources of the German police, who were reportedly only informed of the State visit at short notice.
Stephan Weh, leader of the Police Officers’ Union GdP for Berlin, called the meeting a “worst-case scenario”.
“Given the short notice and the extreme security risk posed by the state guest, it goes without saying that this represents a truly mammoth task for the Berlin police, requiring a whole host of measures,” he said.
Weh concluded, though, in view of the geopolitical situation he could see why the police were only informed at short notice.
While a speaker for the Russian foreign ministry called the Berlin conference “unimportant”, Sahra Wagenknecht, leader of the left-wing populist and Russia-friendly BSW party, criticised the German Government for “ostentatiously siding with Zelensky”.
“The fact that Zelensky is sitting alongside Merz in the Chancellery during the video summit has little to do with diplomacy,” she said.
“The Chancellor is thus reducing his conference to absurdity, and Germany is finally out of the running as a mediator.”
