Reuters: Zelensky to fly from Rome to Berlin

President Volodymyr Zelensky will visit Berlin to meet with German officials on May 14, Reuters reported, citing anonymous sources in the German government.

Zelensky is currently in Italy, where he met with the country's prime minister and president, then visited the Vatican to speak with Pope Francis. His last visit to Germany for the Munich Security Council in February 2022, right before Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine.

The Ukrainian leader is trying to shore up additional support ahead of a planned counteroffensive, which Zelensky recently said may have to be pushed back due to equipment concerns.

For most of 2022, the German government took a very cautious approach to arming Ukraine with heavy weapons, only allowing German-made Leopard 2 and Leopard 1 tanks to be provided by it and other countries around the turn of the year.

Now, Germany is one of Ukraine's top financial and military assistance providers. Germany's most recent and largest aid package to Ukraine was announced on March 13 – it includes $2.9 billion in military assistance.

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Editor’s Note: The following article was published by the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) on May 4, 2023, and has been republished by the Kyiv Independent with permission. The opinions expressed in the op-ed section are those of the authors and do not purport to reflect the views of

Kyiv IndependentTom Keatinge