Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha welcomed his German counterpart, Annalena Baerbock, to Kyiv and held talks with her on a wide range of issues of Ukrainian-German cooperation.

The Foreign Minister said that at a time when the world’s attention is focused on the United States, Minister Annalena Baerbock’s visit demonstrates Europe’s strength and confidence. The head of German diplomacy assured that Germany’s support will remain strong and unwavering.

According to Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine highly appreciates and considers Berlin’s position important, as this support applies not only to Ukraine, but also to the security of the whole of Europe and every European.

The Minister expressed his gratitude to Germany for its leadership in supporting Ukraine and providing the Defence Forces with modern IRIS-T air defence systems, Leopard tanks, Marder infantry fighting vehicles, Gepard systems and other equipment that has demonstrated high efficiency.

The Foreign Minister recalled that in the spring of this year, when Ukraine called on its allies to urgently strengthen Ukraine’s air defence, Germany donated a Patriot air defence system from its own stocks. He stressed that Ukraine will always remember this humanity and solidarity.

“German weapons have saved thousands of Ukrainian lives and continue to do so,” he said.

Andrii Sybiha and Annalena Baerbock discussed the increase in German investment in the development of the Ukrainian defence industry, in particular, the scaling up of drone production for the needs of the frontline.

The Foreign Minister expressed his gratitude to Germany for the additional EUR 170 million announced this autumn to support Ukraine’s energy system and resilience ahead of winter. The Minister noted that this is very valuable assistance in the background of russia’s increased terror against civilian infrastructure.

Andrii Sybiha noted that the Ukrainian side appreciates Berlin’s support on Ukraine’s path to EU and NATO membership. According to him, today it is impossible to imagine the long-term security of Europe without Ukraine and its military power.

“Ukraine’s membership in NATO will only fix the reality that has de facto emerged on the European continent. The invitation to Ukraine should be extended now, without delay. This is an important political step to deprive putin of illusions and encourage him to end his aggression,” he said.

The Ukrainian diplomat stressed that appeasement of the aggressor has never worked and will not work. According to him, only collective pressure and determination can restore a comprehensive, just and lasting peace, and therefore the Peace Formula has no alternatives. The Foreign Minister added that the Ukrainian side will not accept any initiatives developed without Kyiv’s participation.

The ministers also discussed the need for decisive action in response to russia’s involvement of North Korean regular troops in the war against Ukraine. Andrii Sybiha called on Europe to realise that DPRK troops are now waging an aggressive war in Europe against a sovereign European state.

“This once again proves that while the West is afraid of escalation and hesitates, russia is acting and going for escalation. You cannot beg russia for peace. It can only be forced to peace. The steps are clear: support for the Victory Plan and the lifting of all restrictions on the defence of life against terror. We need to make these decisions as soon as possible,” said the Foreign Minister.

The parties also discussed bilateral support from Germany for the next year. Andrii Sybiha noted that Ukraine appreciates Berlin’s role in approving a mechanism for using windfall profits from russia’s frozen assets. At the same time, he stressed that these funds should not be seen as a substitute for national contributions, and that the idea of using frozen assets is to create added value. The Minister expressed hope that Germany’s bilateral aid funding for Ukraine for the next year would not be lower than this year’s level.

The Foreign Minister thanked his counterpart for Germany’s active participation in Ukraine’s reconstruction and patronage of the restoration of Chernihiv region. He noted that the Ukrainian side is committed to further developing international cooperation between the regions of Ukraine and partner countries.