On Tuesday, November 3, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy led a Ukrainian delegation arriving in Berlin. As reported by RBC-Ukraine citing the head of state's Telegram message, a busy schedule of bilateral and multilateral contacts involving the German leadership lies ahead for him.
Visit Program
According to Zelenskyy, negotiations with the Chancellor and President of Germany, as well as the President of the Bundestag, are scheduled as part of the visit. In addition, the head of the Ukrainian state will join the Berlin Security Conference taking place this year.
Negotiation Priorities
The President of Ukraine emphasized that an important part of the visit will be coordination with partners in key areas. He named strengthening air defense and supporting the country's energy sector as the priority topics the Ukrainian side intends to raise at the meetings.
Context: Air Defense Shortage and Winter Needs
The visit takes place against the backdrop of Germany, jointly with the UK, seeking ways to additionally strengthen Ukrainian air defense amid a shortage of American Patriot systems and missiles for them. According to available data, allies are considering transferring ammunition from their own stocks to Ukraine. In parallel, the US has approved a potential sale to Ukraine of 500 PAC-3 interceptor missiles for a total of $2.1 billion.
However, as noted, these missiles may only arrive in a few years. Therefore, Ukraine has asked partners to transfer ammunition from their own stocks this very winter; Zelenskyy estimated the minimum requirement for this period at 100 missiles per month.
Emphasis on International Order
Answering a question about the goals of the visit, Zelenskyy stated: “We are all interested in security, stability, and the protection of a rules-based international order. And we must work together so that these principles translate into concrete decisions and actions.”
