Under-Pressure Zelensky in Germany to Rally Ukraine's Allies

President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday visits Germany where Ukraine's military backers are meeting, days after one of the deadliest strikes of the war and as Russian forces make battlefield gains.

Zelensky and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will hold "one-on-one" talks in Frankfurt, according to a German government spokesman, who did not give further details about the Ukrainian leader's programme.

But German news outlet Der Spiegel reported that Zelensky will also attend the gathering of Kyiv's backers, which includes the United States, at the US Ramstein Air Base.

The meeting at the base southwest of Frankfurt is being hosted by US defence chief Lloyd Austin.

Zelensky's presence is intended to underline "the seriousness of the situation" on the ground in Ukraine, Spiegel said, days after 55 people were killed and 300 wounded in a Russian missile strike on the city of Poltava.

Austin is due to speak at the opening of the meeting at around 10:00 am (0800 GMT) and will host a press conference at around 16:15 pm.

The talks, with representatives from some 50 nations, will focus on areas including bolstering Ukraine's air defences and encouraging allies to boost their defence industries, said Pentagon spokesman Major General Pat Ryder.

"Ukraine matters to US and international security, and the efforts of (Kyiv's allies meeting in Ramstein) continue to play a vital role in Ukraine's fight for freedom and sovereignty," he said.

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The meeting comes as Moscow's forces advance in the Donbas, with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday declaring that capturing the eastern area was his "primary objective" in the conflict.

Since the start of its offensive in February 2022 when it failed to capture the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, Russia has adapted its aims, concentrating instead on trying to conquer eastern Ukraine.

While Ukraine's surprise push into Russia's Kursk region last month caught Russian forces off-guard, Putin stressed that the move had failed to slow Moscow's advance.

"The enemy weakened itself in key areas, our army has accelerated its offensive operations," Putin argued.

- Uncertainty over Ukraine backing -

The United States has been Ukraine's biggest backer during the conflict, providing military aid worth 51.6 billion euros ($56 billion), according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy.

But uncertainty looms over the future of that funding as a US election in November could see Ukraine-sceptic Donald Trump back in the White House.

Germany, Ukraine's second-biggest backer, has also come under pressure domestically over its aid for Kyiv, which has been at the centre of a protracted row over the 2025 budget.

Regional elections in the former East German states of Saxony and Thuringia on Sunday saw a surge of support for parties on the far right and far left opposed to the government's support for Ukraine.

France, another of Kyiv's biggest backers, has also been locked in a political crisis for several weeks.

Zelensky has repeatedly called for more long-range missiles to help repel Russian forces, but the United States and Germany have so far been reluctant to provide them.

The Ukrainian leader also wants allies to lift restrictions on the use of their weapons to target positions deep inside Russian territory.

Ukraine's Defence Minister Rustem Umerov has been laying the groundwork for Zelensky by holding talks in the United States, Britain, France and Germany over the past few days.

Zelensky will also be looking to present a united front after the resignation of Ukraine's top diplomat Dmytro Kuleba in the biggest government reshuffle since the invasion.

Ahead of the meeting, Britain said it would send Kyiv 650 lightweight missiles before the end of the year to boost Ukraine's air defence capabilities.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's allies in Europe have moved to expand their defences in response to the increased threat from Russia.

Germany's military put a first Iris-T air-defence system into service on its own soil Wednesday, having delivered several of them to Ukraine to intercept Russian rockets, drones and missiles.