Merz visits Kyiv as Russia steps up missile and drone attacks

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in Kyiv on Sunday in a show of support for Ukraine as Russia stepped up attacks on Ukrainian cities. The visit came as the aerial war intensified, with Moscow using hard-to-intercept ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones, while Kyiv targeted Russia's oil industry and businesses.

On his second trip to Kyiv as chancellor, Merz said he wanted to demonstrate Germany's backing for Ukraine. "If Russia is not stopped, its war machine will sooner or later turn against us," he said in a statement, adding that he told President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, "You can continue to count on our help."

Merz said the partnership between Germany and Ukraine was "not a one-way street", and pointed to German and Ukrainian companies jointly developing technologies that benefit both sides. "This makes us safer and stronger," he said. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the agenda would focus on "strengthening Ukraine, our defence and resilience, and our shared European security."

Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Saturday that it would continue to carry out "mass retaliatory strikes" on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, and urged foreign nationals and diplomats to leave the country. It had issued a similar warning in May. On Sunday morning, a Russian drone hit Kyiv's Northern Bridge over the Dnipro River again. Videos shared on social media showed the drone striking the bridge and exploding as vehicles crossed. There was no immediate word on casualties.

The latest strike followed Russian assaults earlier this week that forced the full or partial closure of three of Kyiv's six road bridges over the Dnipro River, suspending traffic and causing tailbacks in the latest effort to disrupt life in the Ukrainian capital. Russia has previously hit apartment blocks, supermarket warehouses, petrol stations and data centres, among other targets.

More than four-and-a-half years after Russia invaded its neighbour, there are no concrete signs of a possible peace settlement. Fighting along the roughly 1,250-kilometre front line stretching through northern, eastern and southern Ukraine has been virtually deadlocked in recent months, as Merz's visit underlined Germany's support for Kyiv amid continued attacks.