German Chancellor Plans Visit to Ukraine, Aims to Visit Odesa Region

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, opening a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Ankara, stated that he is preparing a visit to Ukraine. During the talks, which took place before the summit, Merz asked Zelenskyy about the route he had chosen for the NATO summit. Zelenskyy replied that he had again flown from Moldova, having recently stopped using the Polish airport "Jasionka" in Rzeszów, which had previously been his main hub.

Merz revealed that he plans a similar route for his Ukrainian visit. "Next time I come to Ukraine, I plan to visit the Odesa region, and I will also fly in via Moldova," the chancellor said.

Earlier, Merz had only visited Kyiv as part of a group of leaders from the "coalition of the willing." He did not answer journalists' questions about the timing of the planned visit. It is known that before the Ankara trip, Zelenskyy discussed supplies of air defense missiles with Merz.