Transcript of the press conference in German only

The fact that this was Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s fourth visit in 2024 alone was a sign of how closely Germany and Ukraine are linked, Scholz said. He was speaking in the Chancellery on Friday during the visit of the Ukrainian President to Berlin. After more than 1,000 days of merciless Russian aggression against Ukraine, Scholz stressed that, “Germany remains firmly at the side of Ukraine.”

The most important points from the press statement:

• Germany is providing assistance: Ahead of the third winter of the war, Russia has targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, bombing power stations and power lines. In response, Germany has provided additional short-term aid worth 170 million euros to allow rapid repairs to the most serious damage and restore heating supplies.
• Military support: Germany the biggest provider of military aid to Ukraine in Europe and the second-largest in the world, Scholz said. A new comprehensive package of military aid worth over 600 million euros has just been supplied to Ukraine. By the end of this year, Germany will join with Belgium, Denmark and Norway to provide a further package of aid worth 1.4 billion euros. The 2025 German Federal Budget also allocated 4 billion euros for direct bilateral military aid.
• United for peace: Following the Bürgenstock peace conference, a further conference is to take place with Russian involvement. On this point, the Federal Chancellor stressed that he and President Zelensky were of one mind that it would not be acceptable for Russia to dictate peace terms. “Bringing about peace can only happen on the basis of international law,” Scholz said.