The head of German diplomacy in kyiv to express “unwavering” support for Ukraine

The head of German diplomacy Annalena Baerbock arrived in kyiv on Monday for a visit where she intends to express “unwavering” support from Western allies for Ukraine in the face of the Russian invasion. “It has been almost 1,000 days since the Ukrainians have yearned for peace from day one and to this very moment, the commitment is the same: Germany, together with many partners around the world, stands unwaveringly alongside Ukraine. , declared the minister upon her arrival, according to a ministry press release.

“We will support the Ukrainians for as long as they need us so that they can continue their path towards a just peace,” she added. This is Ms. Baerbock’s eighth visit to Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022, the ministry said. It comes on the eve of American presidential elections anxiously awaited by kyiv, which fears that the United States will abandon its ally in the event of victory for Republican Donald Trump. And this at a critical moment for Ukraine, whose army, lacking men and ammunition, is retreating on the ground while Russia is on the verge of having the reinforcement of North Korean troops.

Germany is the second largest arms supplier to Ukraine, behind the United States. President Volodymyr Zelensky has long asked the allies for long-range missiles and authorization to use Western weapons to destroy targets deep on Russian territory, so far without success. Ms Baerbock denounced the “brutality” of Vladimir Putin’s war who wants to “break people in Ukraine” by bombing critical infrastructure and hitting the population “precisely where their everyday lives should be: at home, at work, at school.

“We oppose this brutality with our humanity and our support – so that Ukrainians can not just survive the winter, but that their country can exist. Because they also defend the freedom of all of us in Europe,” she said. Russia will have to pay for the damages, she added. And “until this is done, the G7 will support Ukraine by granting it a credit of up to $50 billion and using the profits generated by the fixed assets of the Russian state,” he said. -she said.