Pistorius plans to discuss building a new weapons system with Ukraine in the unannounced visit. Meanwhile in Stuttgart, five pro-Palestinian activists face trial over attacking an Israeli defense company site. Follow DW.
Skip next section EU's Kallas rejects German former chancellor Schröder as Ukraine mediator 05/11/2026 May 11, 2026 EU's Kallas rejects German former chancellor Schröder as Ukraine mediator Kaja Kallas, the European Union's foreign policy chief, on Monday rejected Russian President Vladimir Putin's proposal to get former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder to mediate an end to the war in Ukraine.
"Gerhard Schröder has been a high-level lobbyist for Russian state-owned companies. So it's clear why Putin wants him to be the person so that actually, you know, he would be sitting on both sides of the table," Kallas said of the former German leader, who has maintained close relations with Moscow and is a personal friend of Putin.
Kallas also rejected the premise of allowing Moscow the right to appoint a negotiator, saying that "would not be very wise." Schröder's office on Sunday refused to comment on Putin's proposal.
Why Putin turned to ex‑German chancellor as a peace broker To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video https://p.dw.com/p/5DYyT Skip next section 5 pro-Palestinian activists face trial over Israeli defense company attack 05/11/2026 May 11, 2026 5 pro-Palestinian activists face trial over Israeli defense company attack Five pro-Palestinian activists are due back in court in Germany's western city of Stuttgart on Monday, where they are facing trial over an alleged attack on an Israeli defense company's site in the city of Ulm.
The five defendants, three women and two men between 25 and 40 of Irish, British, Spanish and German nationalities, are accused of breaking into the company's premises at night and destroying valuable company inventory.
The company in question is Elbit Systems, a provider of military equipment for the Israeli military. They are accused of attacking the company in September last year, as an act of protest against Germany's support to Israel amid the latter's war on Gaza .
German Chancellor Merz reaffirms support for Israel To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video They became known as the Ulm 5 and face charges of criminal damage and trespassing, as well as membership of a criminal organization, over their ties to Palestine Action Germany.
The trial started in late April with dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters gathering outside court and applauding the defendants as they were brought into the courtroom.
Speaking to the German DPA news agency in Kyiv, Pistorius said the main goal of his trip was to strengthen both countries' strategic partnership, including building a new weapons system together.
NATO's European partners still have so-called capability gaps in the field of long-range weapons, something Pistorius believes needs to be rectified as soon as possible.
Pistorius' visit on Monday comes as a temporary ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine is due to expire. The weekend ceasefire was announced by US President Donald Trump on Friday and confirmed by both parties.
It coincided with Russia's military parades celebrating its victory in World War II, parades which President Vladimir Putin was adamant on not disturbing with potential Ukrainian strikes.
Russia marks Victory Day as the Ukraine war drags on To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video https://p.dw.com/p/5DYvX Skip next section Welcome to our coverage 05/11/2026 May 11, 2026 Welcome to our coverage Rana Taha | Elizabeth Schumacher Editor Good morning from a gloomy, rainy Bonn day where spring has once again taken a back seat.
We are back from what was a sunny weekend to bring you all the latest news, videos and analyses on all things Germany, including the defense minister's surprise visit to Kyiv and a trial session of pro-Palestinian activists.
Stay tuned!
