Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany paid a surprise visit to Ukraine on Monday, his first in more than two years, to reaffirm his country’s support amid mounting concern in Kyiv that the West could scale back military aid and push for a negotiated settlement with Russia.
Mr. Scholz’s trip came two weeks after he held a phone call with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia to discuss potential paths to end the war. Ukrainian officials denounced that outreach, saying that it broke Mr. Putin’s diplomatic isolation from the West and bolstered Moscow’s position ahead of possible peace talks.
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine was particularly critical, warning that Mr. Scholz’s phone call risked opening “a Pandora’s box” by encouraging more leaders to engage with Mr. Putin, ultimately legitimizing the Russian president’s position.
Mr. Scholz’s visit to Kyiv on Monday appeared, at least in part, aimed at easing those tensions, and he announced that his country would deliver an additional $680 million of military equipment to Ukraine by the year’s end. “Germany will remain Ukraine’s strongest supporter in Europe,” Mr. Scholz said in a social media post after his arrival on an overnight train.
The trip came amid growing concern in Kyiv that the incoming Trump administration may cut off aid, shifting the financial burden of Ukraine’s war effort onto Europe. In recent weeks, top European officials have convened to strategize how to sustain Ukraine’s defense should U.S. support waver, a challenge made more urgent by Russian forces advancing at their fastest pace on the battlefield in two years.
Berlin is expected to be at the forefront of any new effort. With more than $15 billion allocated in military, financial and humanitarian aid so far, it has been Ukraine’s top European backer since the war began in 2022, according to a ranking by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, a think tank in Germany.
Mr. Scholz’s trip to Kyiv also serves a domestic political purpose. With early elections looming in February, the German chancellor, a Social Democrat, has faced criticism from his conservative rival, Friedrich Merz, leader of the Christian Democratic Union, for not doing enough to support Ukraine — by refusing to send Kyiv long-range missiles, for example.
He is also under pressure from parties on both the far left and the far right, which are demanding negotiations with Moscow. For Mr. Scholz, the concern is that those views could prove popular in the elections and give those parties traction.
The visit on Monday, alongside the announcement of new military aid, appears to be part of Mr. Scholz’s careful balancing act: showing Germany’s commitment to Ukraine, while sticking to his vow not to escalate the war by sending powerful missiles and also aiming for a negotiated settlement.
Mr. Scholz’s call with Mr. Putin was the first exchange between the Russian president and a leader of a large Western country since late 2022, and it was seen in Berlin as a way to appeal to antiwar voters. According to the German authorities, during the call, Mr. Scholz also condemned Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure and assured Mr. Putin that Berlin would continue to assist Ukraine.
Mr. Zelensky has expressed hope that the war could end next year through negotiations, though that now seems dependent on how the future Trump administration will approach any peace talks.
There is concern in Ukraine that Mr. Trump’s campaign promise to end the war in 24 hours might pressure Kyiv into a bad deal that would leave large chunks of its territory to Russia and lack security protections against any future aggression by Moscow.
But some officials remain hopeful that Mr. Trump might even increase military support for Ukraine to strengthen its position on the battlefield and push Russia toward talks.
European countries have sought to reassure Ukraine that their support will remain steadfast, regardless of American policy. Just one day before Mr. Scholz’s visit, António Costa, the newly appointed president of the European Council, which represents E.U. heads of state; and the bloc’s new foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, visited Kyiv to reaffirm their backing.
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