Zelensky Secures €11.6 Billion German Aid Pledge as Russian Strikes Intensify

On November 3, 2026, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky travelled to Berlin for talks with German Bundestag President Julia Klöckner, securing confirmation that Germany had allocated €11.6 billion — approximately $13.4 billion — in its federal budget for Ukrainian assistance in 2027. Zelensky said he also discussed a dedicated winter support package that would include PAC-2 and PAC-3 Patriot interceptors and IRIS-T air-defence missiles, as well as continued backing for Ukraine's fleet of F-16 fighter jets. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz assured Zelensky that Berlin remained committed to Ukraine's energy security heading into the winter months. The visit came against a backdrop of intensifying Russian strikes: on the same night, Russia launched 130 attack drones, roughly 80 of them Shahed-type, together with S-300 missiles and an Iskander-M ballistic missile. The assault targeted power plants, heating infrastructure and hospitals across Ukraine. The €11.6 billion pledge represents one of the largest single-year bilateral aid commitments to Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, and comes as the European Union prepares further support packages ahead of a difficult winter for Ukrainian civilians and energy workers. Zelensky welcomed the commitment as evidence of Germany's "unwavering" support and urged other European allies to match Berlin's level of engagement.