Zelenskyy in Berlin: Security Conference Triggers Massive Police Operation and Transport Disruption

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Berlin on Tuesday for the Berlin Security Conference, held at the Andel's Hotel on Landsberger Allee. Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced the unplanned visit at an IHK economic breakfast, telling the audience that Zelenskyy would be joining him around midday. Around 12:30 p.m., police confirmed the two were on their way to the Federal Chancellery. The security operation was among the highest-level seen in the city — roughly 3,400 additional officers from almost all over Germany were deployed, a level of protection comparable to visits by Benjamin Netanyahu or Emmanuel Macron. Specialist units including snipers were stationed at key positions. The government quarter, City West and parts of Lichtenberg all saw extensive closures. Roads around the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, including Hardenbergstraße, Budapester Straße, Kantstraße and Breitscheidplatz, were sealed off, and all BVG bus lines were diverted away from Hardenbergplatz. S-Bahn lines S41, S42, S8 and S85 were suspended between Frankfurter Allee and Greifswalder Straße from 3 to 5 p.m., with stations Landsberger Allee and Storkower Straße temporarily closed. Berlin's airspace and government-quarter waterways were also restricted. By around 8 p.m., the VIZ reported that disruptions had been reduced to overnight-level measures. The conference drew more than 140 speakers, including Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda, who opened proceedings on Tuesday, and Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, who was set to open the second day on Wednesday. MEP Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann served as president of the conference across both days.