Germany’s foreign minister is in Ukraine ahead of the winter as allies grow concerned by the presence of North Korean troops in the region. She pledged additional assistance for the coming winter.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock announced an additional €200 million (roughly $218 million) to help Ukrainians during their third winter of war, amid continued Russian attacks on infrastructure.
The money will be used so that homes close to the front line without energy supplies can also receive fuel and “Ukrainians can be provided with essentials such as blankets or warm winter coats to protect them from freezing temperatures,” she said at a meeting with her Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha, in Kyiv.
The additional humanitarian aid is not for the energy sector, but for emergency winter relief for the population, such as solid fuel for homes near the front line, insulation, winter clothing, blankets and cash assistance.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is now seeking military assistance from North Korea and is redoubling his efforts in eastern Ukraine, Baerbock said. He is deliberately targeting lifelines across the country, bombing power plants and destroying power lines in what she called a perfidious strategy.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said he had discussed with Baerbock the “need for decisive action” in response to North Korean involvement in the war in Ukraine.
“We urge Europe to realize that the DPRK troops are now carrying out an aggressive war in Europe against a sovereign European state,” he told a briefing after meeting with Baerbock in Kyiv.
