Zelenskyy cutting his trip to Germany short? Here’s what source says

Spiegel wrote that Zelenskyy canceled his participation in the Charlemagne Prize ceremony due to the threat of a major Russian offensive. According to their information, because of the serious situation in Ukraine, Zelenskyy allegedly canceled his flight from Berlin to Düsseldorf, and then to Aachen, and instead decided to return directly to Kyiv.

The outlet noted that the main reason for this was the deployment of Russian troops near the city of Sumy.

However, RBC-Ukraine’s informed source rejected this information.

Update: Zelenskyy advisor’s reaction

President’s advisor Dmytro Lytvyn, in a comment to RBC-Ukraine, also denied Spiegel’s report about the reason for Zelenskyy’s "urgent" return to Ukraine, supposedly due to the threat of a Russian offensive in the Sumy region.

"Spiegel should verify more carefully what they are being told," he said in response to a request to confirm or deny the information from the German outlet.

Zelenskyy in Germany

Earlier today, President Zelenskyy landed in Berlin. Among other things, the president had a scheduled meeting with Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

At a joint press conference with President Zelenskyy, Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced that Germany will provide a significant portion of the funds to finance Starlink in Ukraine.

At the same time, he emphasized that a letter of intent will be signed for the purchase of long-range systems produced in Ukraine.

Offensive in the Sumy region

At the end of March, several Western media outlets reported that Russian forces were preparing for a new military offensive against Ukraine.

Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, in turn, stated that Russia has effectively already begun its offensive in the Sumy and Kharkiv regions.

Earlier today, Ivan Tymochko, Head of the Reservists Council of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, assessed whether there is currently a threat to Sumy.