German foreign minister pledges Ukraine support in Kyiv visit

 

FILE – German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock attends a press conference at the German embassy in Dekwaneh, Lebanon October 23, 2024. On Monday, Baerbock pledged Germany's support for Ukraine.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock pledged her country’s support for Ukraine during a visit Monday to Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian leaders.

Baerbock said Ukraine needs support amid Russian airstrikes as its heads into another winter season, and with the added threat of North Korean military support for Russia.

"We are countering this brutality with our humanity and support, so that Ukrainians can not only survive the winter, but so that their country can survive. Because they are also defending the freedom of all of us in Europe," Baerbock said.

Ukraine’s military said Monday the country’s air defenses shot down 50 of the 80 drones that Russian forces used in overnight attacks targeting areas across the country.

The intercepts took place over the Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Kherson, Kirovohrad, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Sumy and Zhytomyr regions, the Ukrainian air force said.

Officials in Kharkiv reported Monday that Russian aerial attacks injured at least 13 people.

In Kyiv, officials said falling debris from downed drones sparked several fires in the Ukrainian capital.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said Monday it shot down one Ukrainian drone over the Belgorod region that sits along the Russia-Ukraine border.

Some information for this report was provided by Agence France-Presse and Reuters

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