German defence minister visits Ukraine for talks on weapons support
BERLIN, June 12 (Reuters) - German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has arrived in Kyiv to discuss military support for Ukraine in its war with Russia, the DPA news agency reported on Thursday.
Pistorius plans to hold talks with Ukrainian government representatives about further weapons aid from Berlin, according to the report.
"We are doing everything we can to support Ukraine so that it can defend itself and get into a position where Russia is prepared to enter into serious negotiations," Pistorius said ahead of his departure.
The German defence ministry was not immediately available for comment.
Germany is Ukraine's second-biggest military backer after the United States, whose commitment to Kyiv has been called into question, putting pressure on Europe to step up.
Russia and Ukraine met for peace talks in Istanbul earlier this month in a renewed push to settle the conflict, which began with Russia's invasion in February 2022.
However, fighting has raged on while the two sides disagree over a number of central issues, such as territorial concessions and the prospect of Ukraine's future NATO membership.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who has already travelled to Kyiv and hosted President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Berlin since taking office in May, recently gave Ukraine the green light for "long range fire" with weapons supplied by Germany and others, angering Moscow.
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