Germany Netherlands NATO

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has arrived in Kyiv to show support as Russia intensifies attacks on Ukrainian cities. The aerial war has escalated, with Moscow using hard-to-intercept ballistic missiles and drones, while Kyiv targets Russia’s oil industry. Merz wrote on X that Germany's security also depends on the war's outcome. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Merz would meet President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss strengthening Ukraine and European security. Russia’s Foreign Ministry said it would continue “mass retaliatory strikes” on Kyiv, urging foreign nationals to leave. A Russian drone hit Kyiv’s Northern Bridge over the Dnipro River. Fighting along the front line remains deadlocked.