German Defense Minister Visits Kyiv to Boost Military Support
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius arrived in Kyiv on Thursday, June 12, for talks with Ukrainian officials on the current security situation and further military assistance, according to dpa.
The report states that two weeks ago in Berlin, Pistorius and his Ukrainian counterpart, Rustem Umerov, signed a bilateral agreement to jointly fund the production of long-range weapons manufactured in Ukraine. His visit to Kyiv now focuses on expanding that support, according to the television channel ntv, CE Report quotes Ukrinform.
Upon his arrival, Pistorius condemned the intensifying Russian airstrikes across Ukraine, describing them as "extremely severe and threatening, involving a large number of cruise missiles and drone attacks."
"This sends a clear signal from Moscow: There is currently no interest in a peaceful solution, but rather attacks are continuing with undiminished severity and, above all, civilian areas in Ukraine are increasingly being attacked," Pistorius stated at the train station in Kyiv.
His trip demonstrates that the new German government continues to stand by Ukraine. Pistorius said:
"Of course, it will be about what support from Germany and other European countries will look like in the future. What we can do, for example, in the area of industrial cooperation, but also other types of support."
Despite international efforts to promote peace, Russia has intensified its drone and missile attacks on Ukraine. Earlier this week, Ukraine reported the largest drone assault since the start of the full-scale invasion, involving 479 Shahed drones and decoys, four Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, 14 cruise missiles, and two Kh-31 air-to-surface missiles.
