German defence minister visits Ukraine for talks on weapons support
Boris Pistorius said Germany is doing everything it can to support Ukraine. (AP pic)
BERLIN : 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 US, 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 Zelensky 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.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Free Malaysia Today
3 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
China tells G7 to stop ‘manipulating' China issues for its own agenda
Lin Jian, a spokesman of the Chinese foreign ministry, accused the Group of Seven of having always upheld a Cold War mentality. (EPA Images pic) BEIJING : China warned the Group of Seven (G7) advanced economies today against 'manipulating' issues related to the world's second-largest economy for their own agenda, after they accused Beijing of unfair business practices a year earlier. Beijing's criticism of the G7 and what it represents comes amid a surge in global trade tension between the US and China this year, as well as within the bloc's membership. In remarks ahead of a three-day G7 summit in Canada set to start from Sunday, Lin Jian, a spokesman of the Chinese foreign ministry, accused the group of having always upheld a Cold War mentality. The bloc should 'stop interfering in other countries' internal affairs, stop undermining other countries' development, (and) stop manipulating issues related to China,' Lin told a regular news conference. The G7 provokes conflicts and confrontations, said Lin, adding that such practices were 'doomed to fail'. In the communique after its 2024 summit in Italy, which mentioned China more than 20 times, the G7 said its companies needed to be protected from China's unfair business practices. It also warned of action against Chinese financial institutions that helped Russia obtain weapons for its war in Ukraine. The participation of countries beyond the grouping, such as India and Brazil, in last year's event also irked China, which viewed the move as a bid to sow discord among countries of the Global South. New leaders will represent five of the G7's members – Britain, Canada, Germany, Japan and the US – at next week's summit.
Free Malaysia Today
12 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
UN says 122 million forcibly displaced worldwide ‘untenably high'
The number of people forced to flee their homes has almost doubled in the last decade. (AP pic) GENEVA : The number of people forcibly displaced from their homes worldwide has dropped slightly from a record high but remains 'untenably high', the UN said Thursday. A record 123.2 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced from their homes at the end of 2024, said UNHCR, the UN refugee agency. But that figure dropped to 122.1 million by the end of April this year, as Syrians began returning home after years of turmoil. Nearly 2 million Syrians have been able to return home from abroad or from displacement within the war-ravaged country. But the UNHCR warned that how major conflicts worldwide played out would determine whether the figure would rise once again. The agency said the number of people displaced by war, violence and persecution worldwide was 'untenably high', particularly in a period when humanitarian funding is evaporating. 'We are living in a time of intense volatility in international relations, with modern warfare creating a fragile, harrowing landscape marked by acute human suffering,' said Filippo Grandi, the UN high commissioner for refugees. 'We must redouble our efforts to search for peace and find long-lasting solutions for refugees and others forced to flee their homes.' Sudan overtakes Syria The main drivers of displacement remain sprawling conflicts like those in Sudan, Myanmar and Ukraine, UNHCR said in its flagship annual global trends report. Syria's brutal civil war erupted in 2011 but president Bashar al-Assad was finally overthrown in December 2024. The report said the first months of this year saw rising numbers of Syrians returning home. As of mid-May, more than 500,000 Syrians are estimated to have crossed back into the country since the fall of Assad, while an estimated 1.2 million internally displaced people (IDPs) have returned to their areas of origin since the end of November. UNHCR estimates that up to 1.5 million Syrians from abroad and two million IDPs may return by the end of 2025. Sudan is now the world's largest forced displacement situation with 14.3 million refugees and IDPs, overtaking Syria (13.5 million), which is followed by Afghanistan (10.3 million) and Ukraine (8.8 million). 'During the remainder of 2025, much will depend on the dynamics in key situations,' the annual report said. 'This includes whether peace, or at least a cessation in fighting, is possible to achieve, particularly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan and Ukraine.' It also depends on whether conditions for returns improve in Afghanistan and Syria. Another factor was 'how dire the impact of the current funding cuts will be' on responding to displacement and creating conditions for safe and dignified returns. One in 67 The number of people forced to flee persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations and events seriously disturbing public order has almost doubled in the last decade. The figure of 123.2 million worldwide at the end of last year was up 7 million compared to the end of 2023. 'One in 67 people globally were forcibly displaced at the end of 2024,' UNHCR said. In total, 9.8 million forcibly displaced people returned home in 2024, including 1.6 million refugees, the most for more than two decades and 8.2 million IDPs, the second highest ever. 'We have seen some rays of hope over the last six months,' said Grandi. But countries such as the DR Congo, Myanmar and South Sudan saw significant new forced displacements as well as returns. Two-thirds of refugees stay in neighbouring countries. Iran (3.5 million), Turkey (2.9 million), Colombia (2.8 million), Germany (2.7 million) and Uganda (1.8 million) host the largest refugee populations.
Free Malaysia Today
15 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Ukraine denies postponing prisoner swaps as Russian strike on Kharkiv kills 4
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the killing of a civillian 'another brutal murder'. (EPA Images pic) KYIV : Ukraine denied Russian allegations on Saturday that it had indefinitely postponed prisoner swaps, accusing Moscow of 'playing dirty games' after overnight Russian missile and bomb strikes on Kharkiv left three people dead and 22 injured. Later on Saturday, Russian aircraft carried out another bombing raid on Kharkiv, killing one civilian and injuring more than 40, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called 'another brutal murder'. Separately, Russian officials said a Ukrainian drone attack in the Moscow region wounded two people. At a second round of peace talks in Istanbul on Monday, the two sides agreed to swap more prisoners and return the bodies of 12,000 dead soldiers. However, Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky said on Saturday Kyiv had unexpectedly postponed the exchanges indefinitely. This was denied by Andriy Kovalenko, an official with Ukraine's national security and defence council, who said Moscow should stop 'playing dirty games' and return to constructive work. 'Today's statements by the Russian side do not correspond to reality or to previous agreements on either the exchange of prisoners or the repatriation of bodies,' he said on the Telegram app. Overnight, Russian forces used high-precision long-range weapons and drones to attack military targets in Ukraine, hitting all of them, according to Russia's defence ministry. The northeastern city of Kharkiv, one of Ukraine's largest, is just a few dozen kilometres from the Russian border and has been under frequent Russian shelling during more than three years of war triggered by Russia's full-scale invasion. 'Kharkiv is currently experiencing the most powerful attack since the start of the full-scale war,' Mayor Ihor Terekhov said in a post on Telegram earlier on Saturday. Residential buildings, educational and infrastructure facilities were attacked, he said, and photos showed buildings burnt and reduced partially to rubble, as rescuers carried the wounded away for treatment. Kharkiv regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said there could still be people buried under the rubble after one civilian industrial facility was hit by 40 drones and several bombs. In the Moscow region, two people were injured after a drone attack by Ukraine overnight and on Friday, Governor Andrei Vorobyov said on Telegram, with nine drones shot down. Russia's aviation watchdog said operations had resumed at the Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo and Zhukovsky airports in the Moscow region after being suspended temporarily for flight safety reasons. The defence ministry said that since midnight, air defence units had intercepted and destroyed 36 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory, including the Moscow region. Ukraine's air forces also shot down a Russian Su-35 fighter jet on Saturday morning, its military said without providing further details. Russian forces have not yet commented on the matter while Reuters could not independently verify the report. Zelenskiy said that Ukrainian forces recently destroyed three Iskander missile systems and damaged Russian military helicopters. 'There have also been new blows to Russian military logistics and airfields. This helps our defence – every complication for Russia is important for us,' Zelenskiy said in his evening statement. A Ukrainian drone attack deep inside Russian territory last weekend likely damaged around 10% of Russia's strategic bomber fleet and hit some of the aircraft as they were being prepared for strikes on Ukraine, a senior German military official said in a YouTube podcast set for broadcast later on Saturday.
