German Foreign Minister Visits Kharkiv
Annalena Baerbock, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany, arrived in Kharkiv on Tuesday, 10 January, with an unannounced visit.
As the DPA German press agency reports, Baerbock became the first German official to visit the city since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. In addition, she is the first head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to visit Kharkiv since February 2022.
During the visit, which was kept secret for security reasons, Baerbock was accompanied by her Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, and the Ambassador of Ukraine to Germany, Oleksii Makeev.
"This city is a symbol of the absolute madness that is Russia's aggressive war in Ukraine. It is important for me that we do not lose sight of Ukraine's place in our European family, even in this winter of war," said Baerbok in Kharkiv.
As of 19:00 Kyiv time, the head of the German Foreign Ministry is already on her way back home.
Annalena Baerbock is one of the most supportive of Ukraine in the German federal government; she has visited Ukraine more than once since the beginning of the full-scale war.
She has repeatedly advocated providing Kyiv with the necessary weapons and sharply criticised Russia and Vladimir Putin. Recently, the head of the German Foreign Ministry repudiated the Christmas truce announced by the Russian Federation.