German Foreign Minister Annalena Burbock. Photo: picture alliance / dpa / Christoph Soeder
On Monday morning, German Foreign Minister Annalena Burbock arrived in Kyiv. This is her eighth visit to Ukraine since the start of the full-scale war, which has become a symbol of Germany’s solidarity and support for the Ukrainian people. This was reported by Reuters.
“We are countering this brutality with our humanity and support so that Ukrainians can not only get through the winter, but that their country will survive because they are defending the freedom of all of Europe,” Burbock said upon arrival in the capital. She also recalled the nearly 1,000 days that Ukraine has been living under constant rocket terror, sirens wailing, power cuts and countless interruptions to school.
Burbock stressed that Ukraine, despite all the difficulties, has not lost its courage and hope. “For almost 1,000 days, Ukrainians have been striving for peace. Germany, together with its partners around the world, stands firmly by Ukraine’s side. We will support the Ukrainians as long as it is needed so that they can follow their path to a just peace,” she said.
Burbock praised the strength of the Ukrainian people’s spirit, who have persevered even in the face of the third winter of war. She stressed the difficult situation created by massive air strikes on civilian infrastructure, offensives in Donbas and Kharkiv region, and North Korea’s military support for Russia.
“Putin wants to use a war of attrition to break the people of Ukraine,” the diplomat said. She emphasised that Germany and the EU are ready to help Ukrainians face these challenges. One of the key elements of this support will be the so-called “winter protection umbrella”: Germany has allocated €170 million for emergency energy assistance. In addition, Germany is working to strengthen Ukraine’s air defence to counter drone terror.
Burbock also reminded that Russia will have to pay for the damage it has caused to Ukraine. Until then, the G7 countries will support Ukraine with a loan of up to $50 billion, using the proceeds from the blocked Russian assets.
“For almost 1000 days, we have been looking to the future together. Putin wanted to tear Ukraine away from Europe, but after almost 1,000 days, it is closer to the EU than ever before,” the German foreign minister said, stressing the importance of continuing reforms, particularly in the areas of anti-corruption and media freedom.
During his visit, Burbock will meet with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the new Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga.
