Overview

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traveled to Berlin on May 28 to press Chancellor Friedrich Merz for increased military aid.
• Chancellor Merz announced that Germany and its major allies will no longer impose range restrictions on weapons sent to Ukraine.
• Germany remains the second-largest military backer of Ukraine after the United States.
• Russian forces launched a fierce overnight bombing campaign, deploying five Iskander ballistic missiles, one guided air-launched missile and 88 drones.
• The talks come after U.S.-led peace initiatives failed to halt Russia’s escalating attacks and highlight Kyiv’s urgent push to reinforce its defenses.