AForeign Minister Annalena Berbach will visit Ukraine for the fourth time since the start of the Russian war of aggression in February 2022. The Green Party politician made a visit to the capital Kiev on Monday morning, which was initially kept under wraps for security reasons. The visit, a week before the UN General Assembly in New York, was also seen as a sign of solidarity.
With airspace over Ukraine still closed, Beyrbach traveled by special train from Poland to the capital Kiev that night, as is customary for visiting high-ranking politicians. The Minister was welcomed on stage by German Ambassador Martin Jagger.
Upon his arrival, Baerbock promised continued support for Ukraine on its path to the EU, but also emphasized more reform efforts, for example in the fight against corruption. Ukraine also “defends the freedom of all of us. As Ukraine stands before us, it can count on us” – for example, Germany will provide decisive support to Ukraine on its path to the EU.
Annalena Berbach with Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany Oleksiy Makeev (R.) during her visit to passport control at the platform at the border with Ukraine
Source: dpa/Jörg Blank
Ukraine has EU candidate status since June 2022. At that time, the EU Commission defined seven reform priorities, some of which it considered partially fulfilled. A new progress report from the commission is expected in October.
Baerbach urges more fight against corruption
Baerbock said Kiev’s record on judicial reform and media law is already impressive. But “more oligarchs still have a way to go when it comes to law enforcement and the fight against corruption.” The EU itself “needs to work quickly to ensure we are properly positioned for more seats at the table.”
In the wake of Russian attacks on infrastructure and energy supplies, Baerbach said he wants to connect the energy grid more closely with Ukraine. Households need not fear for their supplies if Russian President Vladimir Putin targets substations. Germany “doesn’t stop supporting Ukraine in defense against Russian aggression: economically, militarily, humanitarianly.”
All Improvements in Live Ticker:
04:04 – Russia: Two Ukrainian drones destroyed in Belgorod region
Russia’s air defense systems intercepted two Ukrainian drones in the Belgorod region, the Russian Defense Ministry said. There were no injuries and debris from the drones fell on a road in the Yakovlevsky district, Vyacheslav Kladkov, governor of the Belgorod region on the border with Ukraine, said by telegram.
10:00 pm – Ukrainian army reports progress in Donetsk and Zaporizhia
The Ukrainian military has recorded land gains in contested areas of Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions. In Klishivka, a few kilometers from the long-contested city of Pakmut, Ukrainian civil servants said Russian troops had been pushed from their positions. A Ukrainian counteroffensive was reported to be partially successful near Robotin in Zaporizhzhya.
The responsible military spokesman, Olexander Shtupun, had said hours earlier that the Ukrainian army had liberated another 1.5 square kilometers near the recently captured Robotyn. But there is still a tough fight. “The Russians are clinging to every meter of our Ukrainian soil,” Shtubun said. However, the Ukrainians tried to make it more difficult for the Russians to supply and in some areas they succeeded.
9:22 pm – Ukraine talks with US on long-range missiles
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the movement is in talks with the United States about supplying Kiev with long-range ATACMS guided missiles. Things are moving forward and he hopes Ukraine will get a weapons system in the fall, Zelensky told US broadcaster CNN. This is very important from a military point of view, and the counterattack will not stop. He will again talk to US President Joe Biden about this.
ATACMS are guided missiles from US manufacturer Lockheed Martin with a range of up to 300 kilometers that are launched from the ground against ground targets. Kiev has long demanded it, but the US is reluctant. Ukraine is asking Germany for a similar weapon system, Taurus-class cruise missiles. It is suitable for destroying bunkers and protected command posts up to 500 kilometers away. Germany has also shown restraint so far.
Due to the long range of the weapon systems, there is concern that they could also be used to attack targets in Russia. However, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba promised in August that both systems would be used only within Ukrainian borders. The new weapons would allow Ukraine to attack Russian positions far behind. The Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, annexed by Russia in violation of international law since 2014, will also be targeted.
6:30pm – German wounded in shelling in eastern Ukraine – Two foreign NGO workers killed
According to a Ukrainian non-governmental organization, a Russian attack in Ukraine killed two of its foreign workers and seriously wounded two others, including a German. The Road to Relief system facilitates the evacuation of casualties from the front. An organization van carrying four volunteers was hit by shells, overturned and caught fire near the small town of Chasiv Yar in Donetsk on Sunday.
As the organization announced on Instagram, A Canadian was killed in the attack. A German and a Swede were seriously injured. The fate of the fourth driver, the organization’s Spanish director, was initially unclear. Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Alvarez later told Spanish media that authorities in Madrid had “verbal confirmation” of the 32-year-old’s death. The injured and burn victims have been admitted to the hospital and are undergoing treatment.
The Foreign Office confirmed Sunday in Berlin: “We are aware of the case of a German citizen who was injured,” it said.
Ukraine has blamed Russia for the deaths of two Spanish and Canadian humanitarian workers in eastern Ukraine. The Defense Ministry in Kiev said on Sunday that Russian soldiers had killed Spanish Emma Igual and Canadian Anthony Ihnat.
NGO workers were visiting the outskirts of Pakmut city to find out what the people there needed. Ukrainian troops hold the western outskirts of the city, which largely fell to Russian attackers in May after heavy fighting. Ukrainian troops have launched a counter-offensive in the area.
“We’re Experiencing a World War II Revision”
Russian President Vladimir Putin is using new versions of school textbooks to bolster his own position in the country. Putin’s speeches are said to have been published in history books, says Matthäus Wehovski, a historian at the University of Tübingen.
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