The DAX in Frankfurt turned slightly positive to close at 23,681.7 on Wednesday, advancing for a second day, mainly supported by defense stocks on Trump's Ukraine comments. US President Donald Trump signaled a major policy shift on Tuesday, suggesting that Ukraine could reclaim all its territory from Russia. Meanwhile, Fed Chair Jerome Powell reiterated caution over further easing, citing ongoing risks around inflation and labour market imbalances. At home, German business sentiment declined sharply in September from August, surprising analysts, IFO data showed. On the corporate front, defense names such as Renk (+7%), Hensoldt (+6.7%) and Rheinmetall (+3.5%) stood out. Other notable gainers included Commerzbank (+4.4%), Zalando (+2.7%) and Siemens Energy (+2.3%). On the flip side, the biggest laggards were Merck (-2.7%), Daimler Truck (-1.9%) and Symrise (-1.7%).