German Vice Chancellor and Economy Minister Robert Habeck unexpectedly arrived in Kiev on Thursday to talk about post-war reconstruction and show his support after Russian attacks on key Ukrainian infrastructure.
“This visit comes at a time when Ukraine needs all the support it can get in its fight for freedom,” Habeck told reporters in the Ukrainian capital.
“And it is a fight for freedom, that is the most important thing that the world, Europe and Germany must not forget,” he said, adding that Ukraine “fights for the values that define Europe.”
The trip comes after Germany announced over the weekend that it would send an additional Patriot air defense system to Ukraine after Kiev asked its Western backer to urgently help deter Russian attacks.
Ukraine has said it is running out of weapons to shoot down Russian missiles and drones as Moscow steps up its attacks on energy infrastructure.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday urged other EU heads of state and government to follow Berlin's example and send more air defense systems to Ukraine.
Habeck, who was accompanied on the trip by a business delegation, will hold talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky.
He will also meet with Ukrainian officials to discuss emergency aid and business relations, as well as preparations for the annual Ukraine Reconstruction Conference to be held in Berlin in June, the German economy ministry said in a statement.
“Comprehensive support for Ukraine also includes support for a crisis-proof energy supply and reconstruction. For this to succeed, private investments are crucial,” Habeck is quoted as saying in the statement.
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