The Ukrainian president, who arrived in Berlin on Saturday night for his first visit since the start of the war in Ukraine, met with the German president, whose country wants, as a sign of solidarity, to deliver new weapons worth 2.7 billion euros to Kiev.

After Rome and the Vatican yesterday, Zelensky arrived in Germany, as he announced on his Twitter account, stressing that his visit will be devoted to the delivery of his country a "very important package" of arms shipments and the "reconstruction" of Ukraine.

According to AFP correspondents, Frank-Walter Steinmeier received Volodymyr Zelensky at Bellevue Palace, residence of the German president. Details of the Berlin visit were not immediately disclosed for security reasons.

But the German media reported that Zelensky will meet with Chancellor Olaf Scholz in the morning as well.

This step comes amid preparations for the Ukrainian army to launch a spring offensive, while Kiev and Moscow are announcing victories in and around Bakhmut.

According to Bild, Zelensky will travel to Aachen in the afternoon on a German state Airbus, protected by army fighters, to receive the Charlemagne Prize, which rewards commitment to the unification of Europe.

"For the first time in its long history, the Charlemagne Prize is rewarded for the duty to defend the basic principles of Europe, its freedom and, if necessary, by force," the director of the organizing committee of the prize, Jurgen Linden, told the Tagesspiegel newspaper.

Zelensky is currently trying to mobilize his supporters in Europe at a time when his army is preparing to launch a counter-attack in the east of the country against Russian forces, as announced weeks ago.

On the occasion of his visit, the German government announced Saturday that it is preparing a new plan to provide military aid to Ukraine worth 2.7 billion euros.

"We all want a quick end to this brutal war that Russia is waging against the Ukrainian people, but unfortunately it is not in sight. That is why Germany will provide all possible assistance as long as it is necessary," Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said.

This new aid includes dozens of tanks, armored vehicles, surveillance drones and four new Iris-T air defense systems.

A Ukrainian presidential advisor welcomed this support. But Ukraine's deputy foreign minister, Andrej Melnik, said it was not enough.

The former Ukrainian ambassador to Germany declared on "Welt TV" that "it is a pity that most of the promised defense systems are outdated (...) It is also disappointing that the German government insists on its refusal (...) to deliver fighters. This must be disposed of Ban quickly.

The United Kingdom has also just announced the supply of Storm Shadow missiles to Ukraine, becoming the first country to provide this type of long-range weapon capable of hitting a target up to 250 kilometers away.

Relations between Kiev and Berlin have long been tense over military aid, with Germany criticized for being too indecisive and reticent. But it has consolidated its support in recent months.

On Thursday Zelensky announced on the BBC that he "still needs a little extra time" to launch the spring offensive to avoid heavy casualties and a breach of the Russian lines.

Kiev wants to recover lands in the regions of Donetsk and Lugansk (east), Kherson and Zaporizhia (south), and Moscow has announced its annexation.

On Saturday, the Ukrainian president met Pope Francis in the Vatican and thanked him for the "attention he gives" to the "tragedy of millions of Ukrainians".

He also met Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who assured him of her "full and complete support to facilitate Kiev's gradual accession to the European Union."

On the ground, the Ukrainian army confirmed on Saturday "progress" in the vicinity of Bakhmut, where battles are taking place with Russian forces in eastern Ukraine, while Moscow confirmed its continuation of its progress in the city, which has come under its control mainly and which has been largely destroyed.

According to a Ukrainian judicial source, a Russian raid near Bakhmut on Saturday left two dead and ten wounded, including children.
The Battle of Bakhmut is the bloodiest and longest since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022.