Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky used a visit to Berlin to press Germany to help shield his country’s power grid from Russian attacks and to hold it to its financial commitments for next year. The key figure is €11.6 billion, the amount Germany has pencilled in for Ukraine in 2027 and which has yet to be put to a vote.
The money
Zelensky met Bundestag President Julia Klöckner on Tuesday to discuss energy support and the planned aid. If approved, the sum would be slightly above Germany’s record €11.5 billion in assistance for Ukraine this year. He thanked Germany for including €11.6 billion in its federal budget. He added that Kyiv expects a decision will be made.
That wording was deliberate. A line in a draft budget is a statement of intent, not a guarantee, and Ukraine’s government is watching for the parliamentary vote that would turn it into money.
Energy is the urgent issue
Zelensky framed the talks around the winter. He said the situation in Ukraine’s power grid is very difficult, with major outages in many regions. He said Russia attacks Ukrainian cities and communities every day, with the energy sector and logistics among its constant targets.
The two discussed how Germany could support Ukraine’s energy sector and help provide additional protection against missile and drone strikes. Zelensky also held talks with Chancellor Friedrich Merz and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. The Presidential Office said they also covered energy help for the Chernihiv region, which Steinmeier has taken under his personal patronage.
Satellites and the question of control
The visit also touched on technology. Zelensky backed Germany’s plan to build its own satellite communications system, calling it the right thing to do because the key question is who controls the on and off buttons. The remark reflects a wider European debate about depending on infrastructure run by foreign companies.
He also warned that independent infrastructure is only part of the challenge, because countries must prepare for attacks on satellite systems.
A message about Europe’s own security
Zelensky’s remarks in Berlin were aimed as much at German and European voters as at officials. He urged European politicians to support Ukraine for their own security and cited a drone carrying an explosive device found near a Ukrainian An-124 cargo aircraft at Leipzig/Halle Airport.
He thanked Germany and other countries for their support, saying Ukraine would not have survived without Europe. The Kyiv Post also reported his regret about reduced American aid. He suggested the US security role in Europe could shrink. That helps explain why Kyiv is pressing European capitals to fill gaps.
Sanctions and shipping
In other remarks on Tuesday, Zelensky called on Europe to step up sanctions pressure on Russia and said Ukraine needs allies’ help to restore sea trade routes. He highlighted Ukraine’s efforts to keep Black Sea shipping lanes open and protect energy infrastructure, saying such challenges cannot be met without international help.
What to watch
Three questions now matter. First, whether the Bundestag approves the €11.6 billion without cuts, and how quickly. Second, whether Berlin pairs the budget line with specific air-defence and grid equipment, which is what Kyiv needs before winter deepens. Third, whether other European governments follow with their own commitments as US support becomes less certain.
Germany is already Ukraine’s largest European backer in financial terms, so the size of next year’s package will be read as a signal. A figure slightly above this year’s record would show that Berlin intends to sustain its effort even as the war enters another winter and political attention in some countries drifts elsewhere.
For ordinary Ukrainians, the debate in Berlin is far from abstract. Outages in many regions mean longer periods without heat, light and water, and every additional air-defence system or transformer that arrives in time can reduce that burden. Zelensky’s message on Tuesday was that the help has to come, and soon.
