German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would visit Berlin for talks on Tuesday.
The meeting comes as Kyiv seeks more missiles to defend against Russian ballistic strikes and asks European governments for an additional €70 billion ($78 billion) in funding next year.
The visit coincides with the opening of the two-day Berlin Security Conference.
Merz told Berlin’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry that he expected to meet Zelenskyy around midday. The visit had been kept under wraps for security reasons.
What is on the agenda in Berlin?
Military and financial support is expected to be a focus of the talks. Ukraine needs more missiles for systems such as the US-made Patriot. Germany has already supplied the Patriot systems it says it can spare without weakening its own air defenses.
Zelenskyy set out Ukraine’s funding needs at an EU summit in October. How to raise the money is expected to come up at future EU meetings as governments discuss the bloc’s long-term budget.
Berlin also plans to host a summit of countries backing Ukraine later this month to discuss further support ahead of winter.
Around 3,400 additional police officers were deployed in Berlin for both Zelenskyy’s visit and the security conference, police said. The forum brings together European officials and defense experts, with Russia’s war in Ukraine high on the agenda.
Officers from across Germany are helping with the operation. Parts of the government district have been cordoned off, with armed officers guarding barriers and police special units deploying snipers.
Roads are also closed in western Berlin, including near the Kurfürstendamm shopping avenue.
How does the visit fit into the peace talks?
Shortly before Zelenskyy’s expected arrival, US special envoy Steve Witkoff announced that advisers from Ukraine, Russia and the United States would meet in Abu Dhabi on November 10 and 11 to discuss postwar security, steps to reduce tensions and humanitarian aid.
US envoys are due to discuss security guarantees and reconstruction with European and NATO representatives in Brussels this week. Berlin expects European representatives to be present in Abu Dhabi, though they are unlikely to have a seat at the negotiating table.