{"text":[[{"start":11.3,"text":"Chancellor Friedrich Merz has arrived in Kyiv with a German business delegation, making a show of support as Russia steps up its attacks on Ukrainian cities."}],[{"start":20.05,"text":"Since Merz took office in May 2025, Germany has become the largest donor of military aid to Ukraine, supplanting the US, which has scaled back its support. "}],[{"start":30.75,"text":"Merz was accompanied by German economy minister Katherina Reiche and corporate leaders, a sign that Berlin is seeking to emphasise how its support could be mutually beneficial."}],[{"start":40.3,"text":"“Ukraine is facing decisive weeks. That is why I travelled to Kyiv today with the message: you can rely on us,” Merz said in a post on X after arriving early on Sunday by train. “Germany’s security also depends on the outcome of this war.”"}],[{"start":52.9,"text":"Shortly after Merz began his visit to the capital, a Russian air strike targeted the city’s North Bridge, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko. Air raid sirens wailed across the city, and black smoke could be seen rising from the scene."}],[{"start":68.5,"text":"On Friday and Saturday, three Russian drones also attacked Kyiv’s South Bridge, injuring several people and damaging the structures."}],[{"start":77.65,"text":"The trip to Kyiv is taking place as Russia expands its air war against Ukraine ahead of winter. Merz has voiced concerns, shared by other European leaders and western intelligence services, that Russia is escalating what they describe as its “hybrid war” on European soil — such as a foiled drone attack at Leipzig airport in August."}],[{"start":100.2,"text":"It is Merz’s second trip since he became chancellor, after travelling to Ukraine with the leaders of France, the UK and Poland in May 2025. "}],[{"start":110.5,"text":"The security landscape has sharply deteriorated since, with Russian drones increasingly striking civilian targets, including the train route used by foreign dignitaries to reach Kyiv. "}],[{"start":122.4,"text":"Russia’s foreign ministry on Saturday warned “foreign nationals, personnel of diplomatic missions, to refrain from remaining in or travelling to Ukraine.”"}],[{"start":131.20000000000002,"text":"“Responsibility for any possible adverse consequences lies entirely with those who choose to disregard this warning,” it said, hours before Merz’s arrival."}],[{"start":140.95000000000002,"text":"President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the FT on Thursday, citing intelligence gathered by his spy agencies, that Russia was gearing up to intensify air attacks on Ukraine’s largest cities with the aim of isolating them from the rest of the country as winter sets in."}],[{"start":158.45000000000002,"text":"Last month Germany officially accused Moscow of orchestrating a potential attack in the Leipzig Halle airport, a logistics hub for western military aid to Ukraine, after an airport employee detected an explosive-laden drone."}],[{"start":172.45000000000002,"text":"In a major shift compared with his predecessors, Merz relaxed Germany’s constitutional debt brake to fund a massive rearmament plan and secure about €10bn in annual aid for Ukraine in the coming years."}],[{"start":186.10000000000002,"text":"“Our partnership is not a one-way street,” Merz said Sunday in Kyiv. “German and Ukrainian companies are jointly developing technologies from which both countries benefit.”"}],[{"start":196.20000000000002,"text":"While his leadership on Ukraine is celebrated in Kyiv and other European capitals, at home Merz is battling record-low approval ratings and mounting unrest within his own party."}],[{"start":207.65,"text":"Merz’s Christian Democratic Union suffered heavy electoral losses last month while the far-right Alternative for Germany made record gains in two former East German states, where military support for Ukraine is unpopular. Separately in Berlin, the far-left Die Linke, which also opposes supplying weapons to Kyiv, came first in regional elections."}],[{"start":229.9,"text":"“Given the domestic debate around support for Ukraine, Merz needs to show there is some return on investment for Germany,” said a person with knowledge of his plans."}],[{"start":239.55,"text":"It was also important to emphasise the domestic political cost that such support entailed, and to argue, in return, for Kyiv to reform its institutions, fight corruption as well as buy German weapons, government insiders noted."}],[{"start":260.5,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1791125311_4571.mp3"}