German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attended a Ukrainian-German business forum in Kyiv on Sunday (October 4), where German companies signed 16 agreements with Ukrainian partners worth about 6.5 billion euros.

Among the deals was an agreement with Germany's Diehl Defence on the procurement and delivery of IRIS-T air defence systems and missiles, signed as air raid sirens sounded in the capital.

Speaking to journalists after the signing ceremony, Zelenskiy said he believed Moscow may have shared jet-powered drone technology with North Korea, which has already supplied Russia with artillery shells and ballistic missiles during the war.

Zelenskiy also accused Russia of escalating attacks on infrastructure targets, including Kyiv's bridges, saying Moscow was seeking to intensify the conflict despite battlefield setbacks. He said Ukraine would cope with damage to critical infrastructure but argued Russia's actions showed a determination to prolong the war.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

KYIV, UKRAINE (OCTOBER 4, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKIY, GERMAN CHANCELLOR FRIEDRICH MERZ, AND OFFICIALS TAKING SEATS AT UKRAINIAN-GERMAN BUSINESS FORUM

2. ZELENSKIY AND MERZ

3. FORUM ATTENDEES SEATED AT ROUND TABLE

4. GERMAN AMBASSADOR TO UKRAINE, BORIS RUGE, PUTTING ON GLASSES

5. GERMAN MINISTER FOR ECONOMIC AFFAIRS KATHERINA REICHE

6. MERZ AND ZELENSKIY FOLLOWING MEMORANDUM SIGNING CEREMONY

7. DIEHL DEFENCE REPRESENTATIVE AND UKRAINIAN DEFENCE MINISTER, IEVHENII KHMARA, SEATED AT TABLE / AUDIO OF AIR RAID WARNING

8. VARIOUS OF KHMARA SIGNING MEMORANDUM ON PROCUREMENT AND DELIVERY OF IRIS-T FIRE UNITS AND MISSILES

9. DIEHL DEFENCE REPRESENTATIVE AND KHMARA GETTING UP AND SHAKING HANDS, MERZ AND ZELENSKIY APPLAUDING

10. MERZ LOOKING ON

11. VARIOUS OF OFFICIALS AND COMPANY REPRESENTATIVES SIGNING DOCUMENTS

12. (SOUNDBITE) (English) UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT, VOLODYMR ZELENSKIY, ASKED WHETHER RUSSIA SHARED JET-POWERED DRONE TECHNOLOGY WITH NORTH KOREA, SAYING:

"And we know that Russia shared with them all these technologies, so they (Russia) sharing with North Korea all the technologies. I don't know about the ballistic and etc, but I think yes because North Korea helped them with missiles, it's a very dangerous moment."

13. ZELENSKIY SPEAKING

14. (SOUNDBITE) (Ukrainian) UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT, VOLODYMR ZELENSKIY, SAYING:

"If our bridges collapse, we will manage to get out of this situation, but his (Putin's) people will feel it too. I just don't understand why (they're doing this). There can only be one answer, they do this for maximum escalation of this process, this war."

15. ZELENSKIY SPEAKING

16. (SOUNDBITE) (English) UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT, VOLODYMR ZELENSKIY, SAYING:

"For us it's helpful that today, the mostly, the German nation is on our side. So of course it helps today, how it can be tomorrow, really, I don't know. But, it's also in interest of Germany not to have too many Leipzigs, not to support Putin. When you support Putin, it seems (as if) he will see, he will hear, and this dialogue will be useful that you demonstrate support to him. But it's for some period of time, not too long."

17. ZELENSKIY SPEAKING