Zelensky to visit Berlin on Tuesday for talks with Merz ahead of Russia negotiations

In brief

• Zelensky is due in Berlin on Tuesday, 3 November, to meet Chancellor Merz, according to Merz's announcement.
• The visit was not announced in advance for security reasons and is expected around midday.
• It comes ahead of a NATO-linked meeting in Brussels this week and trilateral talks planned in Abu Dhabi next week.

Surprise visit ahead of talks

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would arrive in Berlin on Tuesday, 3 November, around midday. The trip had not been announced in advance for security reasons; Merz disclosed it during a speech that morning (Мерц повідомив, що Зеленський прибуде до Берліна 3 листопада – Українська правда) (Ukrainian President Zelenskyy to make surprise Berlin visit this Tuesday, Merz says – DW). Merz said Zelensky would be with him again before lunch.

Diplomatic backdrop

The visit coincides with a renewed diplomatic effort. US special envoy Steve Witkoff said a meeting between the American team and representatives of France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the European Union and NATO would take place in Brussels this week, with security guarantees for Ukraine on the agenda. NATO has confirmed the upcoming meeting.

Witkoff also said trilateral talks aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine war would take place next week in the capital of the United Arab Emirates, focusing on the next steps toward peace. Zelensky had earlier said that, after European leaders spoke with the Kremlin chief, there was a sense that Russia was serious about meeting negotiating teams in Abu Dhabi.

What comes next

The Berlin meeting is expected to take place alongside preparations for the Brussels consultations and the planned round of trilateral talks. Details of the agenda for the Merz-Zelensky meeting have not been released (Prezydent Ukrainy Wołodymyr Zełenski niespodziewanie w Berlinie – Deutsche Welle) (Мерц анонсував візит Зеленського у Берлін 3 листопада – Європейська правда).

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