BERLIN — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit Berlin on May 13, local police said Wednesday.
A spokesperson for the Berlin police department told POLITICO that Zelenskyy will travel to the German capital at the invitation of Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Local newspaper B.Z. first reported Zelenskyy’s upcoming visit.
Zelenskyy, who has been in close contact with Scholz since the beginning of the war, said in an interview a few months ago that there were “ups and downs in the relationship with Germany.” Ukraine has pushed for Berlin to deliver more weapons more quickly for it to use in battle against invading Russian forces.
According to media reports, Zelenskyy is expected to land at the military section of the Berlin airport and then check into the Ritz-Carlton hotel at central Potsdamer Platz.
He will then be officially received with military honors by Scholz on May 14. Talks and a press conference are planned, according to B.Z. Around 12 p.m., a discussion with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is on the agenda.
The police spokesperson could not yet provide further details of the visit to POLITICO, but said preparations for security measures had begun.
The Ukrainian president is then scheduled to fly by helicopter to Aachen, where he will be honored with the International Charlemagne Prize before returning to Ukraine.
Zelenskyy is in Helsinki on Wednesday for a summit with Nordic leaders, and has previously visited the U.S., Western European capitals and Poland since the war began.
POLITICO has contacted the offices of the German chancellor and president for comment.
This is a developing story.
