At a gathering of Ukraine’s partners in the Berlin‑format, held on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, participants pledged a “new effort” to expand energy assistance for the war‑torn country. The aim, according to German government circles on Friday evening, is to ease the damage caused by continuing air strikes on civilian infrastructure.
The meeting, described as an “open and constructive exchange” included concrete discussions on joint crisis management and arms support. In addition to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the delegation featured heads of state or government from France, Finland, the United Kingdom, Poland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Estonia, and the Netherlands, as well as senior officials from NATO, the EU Council, the European Commission, and foreign ministers from Italy and Canada.
Before the forum, Merz had a bilateral meeting with Zelenskyy. The discussion focused on the current war situation, the status of negotiations with Russia and the United States, and ongoing issues of weapons cooperation and civilian assistance. Merz reiterated Germany’s support for Ukraine during that conversation.
