German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is visiting Ukraine for the fourth time since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022.

As German media ZDF reports, Baerbock arrived in Kyiv on Monday morning on a visit that was kept secret for security reasons. Coming one week before the UN General Assembly in New York, the visit is seen as a gesture of solidarity.

Credit: DPA

The German Foreign Minister arrived in Kyiv by train from Poland at night, and was met and greeted by German Ambassador Martin Jäger in the Ukrainian capital.

Upon arrival, Baerbock promised Ukraine further support on its way to the European Union but also insisted on further reform efforts, such as the fight against corruption. 

The Minister said that Ukraine "is protecting the freedom of all of us" and can rely on Germany's strong support on Ukraine's path to the European Union.

In January, Baerbock became the first member of the German cabinet to visit eastern Ukraine after the outbreak of the full-scale war. She visited Kharkiv in particular.

Before that, she was in Kyiv twice, in mid-May and mid-September 2022.