Germany has answered Donald Trump’s calls for new leadership in Ukraine with a declaration of support for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, underlining Berlin’s position as Europe’s largest Ukraine donor.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz travelled to Kyiv, Ukraine, on 4 October 2026 and appeared alongside Zelenskyy at a press conference. Johann Wadephul, Germany’s foreign minister, then said Berlin ‘fully supports’ Zelenskyy.
The German government has also said it will continue to work with European Union partners on sanctions against Russia.
The support for Zelenskyy comes as Germany confronts pressure at home over the political climate and its effect on the country’s standing with overseas investors.
Christian Sewing, Deutsche Bank’s chief executive, told the tabloid Bild that the growing strength of parties on the far right and far left was spooking foreign investors. He said recent election victories by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the post-communist Left Party ‘pose a significant risk for Germany and should not be downplayed’.
‘You can't expect a foreign investor to immediately draw a distinction between a state government and Germany as a whole,’ Sewing said.
Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is gathering for a leadership meeting focused on the party’s electoral free fall. Former chancellor Gerhard Schröder also faces criticism for attending Putin’s birthday.
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