Jan 10 (Portal) – Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock paid a surprise visit to the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv near the Russian border on Tuesday and promised more weapons and “concrete offers” to help Ukraine join the European Union.
In a statement ahead of a meeting with Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Baerbock expressed Germany’s solidarity with Ukrainians who are enduring the Russian invasion and harsh winter conditions.
“This city is a symbol of the absolute madness of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine and of the endless suffering that people are confronted with every day, especially here in the east of the country,” she said.
After Germany promised last week that it would send Marder combat vehicles to Ukraine as part of increased military support, Baerbock promised more weapons, without specifying which ones.
“In Kharkiv we see the courage, the resilience and thus the hope for a life in peace,” said Baerbock at a press conference after her arrival.
Senior Russian lawmaker Leonid Slutsky reiterated Moscow’s line that it had started the war to “denazify” Ukraine, saying history would judge Baerbock’s comments harshly.
She “unfortunately cannot hide her sympathy for the reincarnation of Nazism in the Ukrainian project and its clearly nostalgic notes,” he wrote on Telegram. Slutsky heads the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Lower House of the Duma.
Kuleba echoed Ukraine’s longstanding call for tanks, saying he had no doubt that Berlin would eventually give Kyiv the coveted Leopard 2 tanks.
“I think that the German government, somewhere deep in its soul, also understands that this decision will be approved and the tanks will be handed over to Ukraine,” he said.
Kuleba added that following suit on the matter was costing lives, but also thanked his German counterpart for the help so far.
Baerbock also said it was important not to lose sight of Ukraine’s place in Europe and its desire to join the EU.
“We as a government want to make very concrete offers to Ukraine to make progress in strengthening the rule of law, independent institutions and fighting corruption, as well as aligning with EU standards,” she said.
She said Germany will allocate 20 million euros ($21.47 million) for demining and another 20 million euros to improve Ukraine’s access to Starlink internet terminals.
($1 = 0.9314 euros)
Reporting by Alexander Ratz; additional reporting by Dan Peleschuk and David Ljunggren; writing by Matthias Williams; Editing by Paul Carrel, Josie Kao and Cynthia Osterman
Our standards: The Thomson Portal Trust Principles.