German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock visited Kiev on Monday and announced an additional €200 million ($218 million) to support Ukrainians during their third winter of war, amid Russia’s ongoing attacks on infrastructure.
The money will be used so that homes close to the front line without energy supplies can also receive fuel and “Ukrainians can be provided with essentials such as blankets or warm winter coats to protect them from the freezing temperatures,” she said at a meeting with her Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is now seeking military assistance from North Korea and is doubling down his efforts in eastern Ukraine, Baerbock said.
He is deliberately targeting lifelines across the country, bombing power plants and destroying power lines, she added, with almost two-thirds of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure destroyed and leaving people without electricity and heat.
She earlier visited an energy plant near Kiev that is still producing electricity despite being hit by Russian missiles several times.
But the additional German aid is not support for the energy sector but is slated for winter emergency aid measures for the public, such as solid fuels for homes near the front line, insulation, winter clothing, blankets and cash assistance.
This latest sum brings German Ukraine aid for humanitarian purposes – such as mine clearance – to €390 million.
Germany’s coalition government is in crisis amid an internal row and could collapse, but Baerback vowed that the EU’s richest country would continue to back to Ukraine.
“Germany, together with many partners around the world, stands firmly by Ukraine’s side,” Baerbock said.
“We will support the Ukrainians for as long as they need us so that they can follow their path to a just peace.”
The minister arrived in the Ukrainian capital by special train. It was Baerbock’s eighth trip to Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022 and was not announced for security reasons.
Almost 1,000 days after Russia launched its full-scale invasion, Baerbock paid tribute to the resilience of the Ukrainian people.
She said Putin wants to break them with his war of attrition.
“We are countering this brutality with our humanity and support,” she said, adding that the Ukrainians are also defending the freedom of everyone in Europe.
Baerbock meets Ukrainian leader
Baerbock also met President Volodymyr Zelensky. “I thanked her for all the support Germany has provided to Ukraine,” Zelensky said in his evening video message.
Their talks covered the general situation in Europe and the region, he said. “How we can put pressure on Russia to bring peace closer?”
Baerbock said one of the reasons for her trip was her aim to “bring back media coverage of Ukraine in Germany and Europe,” saying this trip was “more important than some of the previous visits.”
German minister briefed on anti-aircraft defences
During her visit, Baerbock was briefed on the deployment of the Gepard anti-aircraft tanks supplied by Germany.
Ukrainian soldiers told her that they had shot down three Russian drones in the greater Kiev area just on Friday.
They also asked Baerbock for more support in the form of materials and ammunition.
So far, Germany has supplied Ukraine with 55 Gepard anti-aircraft tanks, including spare parts and 176,000 units of anti-aircraft ammunition from Bundeswehr and industry stocks.
Gepard tanks are considered very effective in repelling drones.
Baerbock also reiterated her commitment to providing Ukraine with additional air defence systems: “We are leaving no stone unturned globally; every single air defence system matters.”
Over the weekend, after a week of more than 900 Russian bombing raids according to Ukrainian figures, Zelensky had called on his allies for more help with air defence.
“Ukraine needs more defence systems,” he wrote on Telegram.
According to the Ukrainian president, Russia also launched around 500 drone attacks last week, most of which targeted civilian and critical infrastructure – in particular energy facilities.
Baerbock also praised the “courageous steps” Ukraine had taken towards reform and said the country was closer to the European Union than ever before.
Germany, she said, was supporting the country’s path to reform, particularly in its fight against corruption and for media freedom.
