Ukraine s Zelenskiy to talk with Merz in Berlin on Wednesday

BERLIN - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is expected to arrive in Berlin on Wednesday for talks with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the German government said, part of a diplomatic drive to end the war in Ukraine.

Merz will receive Zelenskiy with military honours at the Federal Chancellery at noon (1000 GMT),a government spokesperson said in a statement.

The focus of the visit will be on German support for Ukraine as well as efforts to achieve a ceasefire, he added.

Ukrainian and Russian officials met this month for their first face-to-face negotiations since Russias full-scale invasion of its former Soviet neighbour in 2022, under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to end the war.

The talks failed however to produce a ceasefire agreement and Russia unleashed three nights of massive aerial attacks on Ukraine over the weekend.

With Trump signalling wavering support for Ukraine in recent months, Germany could play an increasingly important role as the countrys largest military and financial backer after the United States.

Merz, a conservative who took office this month, has vowed to take more of a leadership role in ensuring support for Ukraine than his Social Democrat predecessor Olaf Scholz.

He visited Ukraine with other European leaders within days of becoming chancellor and on Monday endorsed Ukraines right to launch long-range missile strikes into Russian territory - in contrast with Scholzs cautious rhetoric on the issue. REUTERS

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