German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul visited Kyiv without prior notice to demonstrate ongoing support for Ukraine in resisting Russia’s invasion as global efforts led by the U.S. struggle to achieve peace progress.
Wadephul was due to meet with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.
Wadephul expressed Germany’s commitment to aiding Ukraine in defending itself effectively through the provision of modern air defense systems, weaponry, as well as humanitarian and economic assistance.
Germany has been Ukraine’s second-largest military backer after the United States, whose continuing support is in doubt.
Nonetheless, Germany has hesitated to fulfill President Zelenskyy’s plea for advanced German- and Swedish-manufactured Taurus long-range missiles. This decision is rooted in concerns that such a gesture could provoke the Kremlin, potentially escalating the conflict and involving NATO in Europe’s most significant crisis since World War II.
Instead, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz pledged in May to help Ukraine develop its own long-range missile systems that would be free of any Western-imposed limitations on their use and targets.
Wadephul was accompanied on his trip to Kyiv by German defense industry representatives.
Russia’s invasion shows no sign of letting up. Its grinding war of attrition along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line and long-range strikes on civilian areas of Ukraine have killed thousands of troops and civilians.
The Russian effort to capture more Ukrainian territory has been costly in terms of casualties and damaged armor. But Russian President Vladimir Putin has effectively rejected a ceasefire and hasn’t budged from his war goals.
Putin “doesn’t want negotiations, but (Ukrainian) capitulation,” Wadephul said in his statement.
Russia launched its biggest combined aerial attack against Ukraine at the weekend, Ukrainian officials said, in its escalating bombing campaign that has further dashed hopes for a breakthrough in peace efforts.
___
Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
