Ukraine and Germany sign defence deal, boost drone cooperation
The leaders of Ukraine and Germany on Tuesday announced a strategic partnership centred on defence as Europe seeks to learn from Ukrainian battlefield expertise, especially in drone warfare.
President Volodymyr Zelensky led a government delegation to Berlin, where they met Chancellor Friedrich Merz and key ministers to discuss Ukraine's war against Russia, now in its fifth year.
Europe's top economy has become Ukraine's biggest military backer as the United States under President Donald Trump has scaled back support.
But Germany, eager to build up its armed forces to deter Russia, is also looking to tap Kyiv's expertise in rapidly evolving drone technology.
Defence Minister Boris Pistorius and his Ukrainian counterpart Mykhailo Fedorov signed a deal to cooperate more closely on defence, while Zelensky and Merz were shown models from several joint German-Ukrainian drone projects.
The two countries in a declaration vowed to "strengthen cooperation in the air defence field", while "Germany will continue supporting Ukraine's drone industry as well as establishing drone co-production ventures".
This "isn't just beneficial for Ukraine's defence," said Merz. "It's also beneficial for us, for our security, because no army in Europe has been as battle-tested in recent decades as Ukraine's.
"No society has become more resilient than Ukraine, no defence industry has become more innovative than Ukraine's."
The agreement includes the exchange of digital combat data for the development of new weapons systems, Merz said.
- Drone technology -
The Middle East war has given Kyiv a chance to showcase its drone expertise, with Zelensky dispatching specialists and visiting countries targeted by attacks from Iran, a Russian ally.
Zelensky, in a press conference with Merz, said "we have proposed to Germany a drone agreement, a bilateral drone deal -- involving various types of drones, missiles, software, and modern defence systems".
Zelensky in February visited a drone production site in Munich established by a joint venture between Germany's Quantum Systems and Ukraine's Frontline Robotics, called Quantum Frontline Industries.
Quantum Systems said it would announce two new joint ventures with Ukrainian manufacturers during the Berlin talks.
The consultations come as US-initiated peace talks between Russia and Ukraine have stalled, and the Middle East war has effectively relegated the issue to the back burner.
Merz emphasised that any final peace deal will have to bear "Europe's signature", speaking a day before NATO chief Mark Rutte and defence ministers allied to Kyiv are to hold a Ukraine Defence Contact Group meeting in Berlin.
- Hungary vote raises hopes -
The meetings come as hopes rise that the European Union can soon provide Ukraine with a 90 billion euro ($105 billion) loan agreed in December that had been blocked by Hungary's nationalist prime minister Viktor Orban.
Merz said that, after Orban's election defeat last weekend to conservative Peter Magyar, "the funds for military support must now be disbursed quickly. Ukraine urgently needs them. This will also enable Ukraine to finance its defence in the long term. Russia should take this seriously."
Zelensky said "we are counting on Germany, as one of the leaders of the European Union, to help us quickly unlock 90 billion, so that we can replenish our Ukrainian production with investment".
In a gesture to Budapest, Zelensky said that a pipeline carrying Russian oil through Ukraine to Hungary and Slovakia that was damaged in attacks by Moscow would reopen by the end of April.
As the Ukraine war grinds on, Germany has given refuge to hundreds of thousands of refugees.
To kick off Tuesday's talks, Ukraine's Social Minister Denys Uliutin met German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt at a cultural and citizens' advice centre called a "Unity Hub".
The hub "will serve as a central point of contact" to support Ukrainian refugees, but it will also aim to "encourage a willingness to return" to Ukraine, the interior ministry said.
Merz said the two countries had agreed to "coordinate closely to facilitate the return of Ukrainian citizens... to their homeland", stressing that "we support Ukraine's efforts to reduce the emigration of Ukrainian men of military age".
A.M.Murray--TNT
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