German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov signed an agreement in Berlin to finance long-range weapons of Ukrainian production, according to the German Defense Ministry. A contract between Ukraine and the German defense industry was also concluded.
Umerov traveled to the German capital together with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for talks. The support measures for Ukrainian armed forces have a total scope of around five billion euros ($5,7 bn), the Defense Ministry reported. The money comes from funds already approved by the Bundestag.
Germany will finance the production of long-range weapon systems in Ukraine. A significant number of long-range weapon systems will be produced in 2025. The first systems reportedly can be deployed in just a few weeks.
Additional ammunition packages for various weapon systems, including ammunition for important air defense systems, land weapon systems and small arms, will be delivered soon as well.
Minister Pistorius emphasized Germany's unchanged position during the Ukrainian Defense Minister's visit on 28 May 2025, in Berlin's Bendlerblock.
The meeting comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Berlin on 28 May to meet with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
The visit comes as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz seeks to discuss potential steps for further technical negotiations between Ukraine and Russia during their personal meeting.
