KYIV, Ukraine: Germany\u2019s top diplomat arrived Monday in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on an unannounced visit, in what appeared to be a show of European support for Ukraine on the eve of a US presidential election that could bring far-reaching changes in Washington\u2019s policy toward Russia\u2019s all-out invasion of its neighbor.
\nGermany is Ukraine\u2019s second biggest weapons supplier after the US, and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock vowed that Berlin\u2019s backing would remain steadfast.
\n\u201cTogether with many partners around the world, Germany stands firmly by Ukraine\u2019s side,\u201d she said, German news agency dpa reported. \u201cWe will support the Ukrainians for as long as they need us so that they can continue on their path to a just peace.\u201d
\nThe war is at a critical moment for Ukraine, with the Russian army making creeping gains on the battlefield and another hard winter ahead after Russia relentlessly battered the Ukrainian power grid.
\nAhead of the US vote, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky attempted to lock Ukraine\u2019s Western supporters into a long-term \u201cvictory plan,\u201d including a formal invitation for Ukraine to join NATO and permission to use Western long-range missiles to strike military targets in Russia, but the response was disappointing for Kyiv officials.
\nRussia is using its superior numbers to heap pressure on Ukrainian positions along the front line. Ukraine\u2019s top commander, Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, said Saturday his troops are struggling to hold back \u201cone of the most powerful (Russian) offensives\u201d of the war.
\nRussia is now adding to its offensive push what Western intelligence sources say is a force of about 10,000 North Korean combat troops sent by Pyongyang under a pact with Moscow.
\nThat has deepened Zelensky\u2019s frustration with Western help. On Saturday, he urged allies to stop \u201cwatching\u201d and take steps before the North Korean troops reach the battlefield.
\nZelensky said Kyiv knows at which Russian camps the North Korean troops are being trained but Ukraine can\u2019t strike them without permission from allies to use the Western-made long-range weapons to hit targets deep inside Russia.
\nBaerbock arrived in Kyiv hours after debris from drones intercepted by air defenses fell in two districts of the city, starting small fires, officials said. No people or property were harmed, according to the head of the Kyiv city administration, Serhii Popko.
\nA Russian glide bomb attack on Sunday night injured 15 people in Kharkiv, Ukraine\u2019s second-largest city in the northeast, regional police said.
\nRussia fired some 80 Shahed drones at Ukrainian cities overnight, Ukraine\u2019s air force said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
KYIV, Ukraine: Germany\u2019s top diplomat arrived Monday in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on an unannounced visit, in what appeared to be a show of European support for Ukraine on the eve of a US presidential election that could bring far-reaching changes in Washington\u2019s policy toward Russia\u2019s all-out invasion of its neighbor. Germany is Ukraine\u2019s second […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":441530,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-441516","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n