Scholz Pledges $680 Million in Aid From Germany to Ukraine During Visit

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.We are having trouble retrieving the article...