Zelensky in Berlin for Ukraine talks as Putin strengthens North Korea ties

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky is in Berlin today for a series of high-level video conferences hosted by German chancellor Friedrich Merz, ahead of Friday’s planned Alaska summit between US president Donald Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin.

Zelensky is expected to meet Merz bilaterally before joining online discussions with EU leaders, UK prime minister Keir Starmer, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte and other allies to prepare for talks with Trump and vice-president JD Vance later in the day. A further virtual meeting of the so-called “coalition of the willing” (the nations providing military support to Kyiv) is scheduled for mid-afternoon. 

Zelensky has not been invited to the Alaska summit, prompting unease among European capitals.

The Berlin meetings come as Putin deepens military and political cooperation with North Korea. On Tuesday, the Russian leader held a phone call with Kim Jong-un. He praised the “bravery” of North Korean troops fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine’s Kursk border region. 

Pyongyang has sent an estimated 15,000 troops and supplied artillery, missiles and other military equipment to Moscow since last year.

Kim pledged full support for future Russian actions. The Kremlin said Putin also briefed Kim on his forthcoming meeting with Trump, where a ceasefire proposal for Ukraine is expected to be discussed.

^{Volodymyr Zelensky © Handout / UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE / AFP}