Germany’s Foreign Minister Visits Kyiv Amid Ukraine’s Concerns Over U.S. Election Impact on War
KYIV, Ukraine — Germany’s top diplomat arrived in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Monday for an unannounced visit, a display of European support for Ukraine on the eve of the U.S. presidential election, which could significantly affect Washington’s policy towards its neighbor.
Germany is Ukraine’s second largest weapons supplier after the U.S., and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock vowed that Berlin’s backing would remain unwavering.
“Together with many partners around the world, Germany stands firmly by Ukraine’s side,” she said, according to the German news agency dpa. “We will support the Ukrainians for as long as they need us so that they can continue on their path to a just peace.”
The war is at a critical juncture for Ukraine, with the Russian army making incremental gains on the battlefield and another harsh winter looming after Russia relentlessly attacks critical infrastructure.
With his army under severe Russian pressure in the eastern Donetsk region, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday that Western military aid deliveries have accelerated, including for artillery.
The grinding attritional warfare being fought in Ukraine demands vast amounts of ammunition, and Ukrainian officials have long complained that Western pledges of support have not materialized quickly enough.
Ahead of the U.S. election, Zelenskyy attempted to secure firm commitments from Ukraine’s Western supporters, including a formal invitation for Ukraine to join NATO and authorization to use Western long-range missiles to strike military targets in Russia. However, the response was disappointing for Kyiv officials.
Russia is utilizing its superior numbers to put pressure on Ukrainian positions along the front line. Ukraine’s top commander, Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, stated on Saturday that his troops are struggling to hold back “one of the most powerful (Russian) offensives” of the war.
Russia is now supplementing its offensive push with what Western intelligence sources say is a significant contingent of combat troops sent by Pyongyang under a pact with Moscow.
That has heightened anxieties among Ukrainian officials about the need for continued Western assistance. On Saturday, Zelenskyy urged allies to stop “watching” and take action before the North Korean troops reach the battlefield.
Zelenskyy said Kyiv knows at which Russian camps the North Korean troops are being trained but Ukraine can’t strike them without permission from allies to use the Western-made long-range weapons to hit targets deep inside Russia.
Baerbock arrived in Kyiv hours after debris from drones intercepted by air defenses fell in two districts of the city, starting small fires, officials said. No people or property were harmed, according to the head of the Kyiv city administration, Serhii Popko.
A Russian glide bomb attack on Sunday night injured 15 people in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city in the northeast, regional police said.
Russia fired some 80 Shahed drones at Ukrainian cities overnight, Ukraine’s air force said.