German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the two countries will also start a joint program to produce long-range weapons that Kyiv can use against Russian targets.

In the latest sign of a warming relationship, President Volodymyr Zelensky met in Berlin with Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said Germany would increase funding for arms production and supplies.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz pledged Wednesday to help Ukraine develop its own long-range missile systems that would be free of any Western-imposed limitations on their use and targets as the Kyiv government fights to repel Russia's invasion.

Germany will provide further military support for Ukraine amounting to around 5 billion euros ($5.65 billion), its defence ministry said on Wednesday, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy met senior officials in Berlin.

Uncertainty meanwhile remains whether Kyiv diplomats will attend a new round of peace talks proposed by Moscow for early next week in Istanbul.

German military expert Niko Lange considered the train blown up in Russia to be proof of the "military might of the Armed Forces of Ukraine"

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will meet with US President Donald Trump on Thursday for talks at the White House, with the Ukraine and West Asia conflicts on the agenda along with rocky trade relations.

The Western alliance needs to prepare for a possible attack by 2029, Germany's top military officer tells the BBC.