German defence minister visits Ukraine for talks on weapons support

12/6/2025 17:36

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius arrived in Kyiv on Thursday to discuss further weapons aid for Ukraine as efforts to end the three-year conflict with Russia faced headwinds and Moscow's forces ramped up bombardments.



Russia and Ukraine met for peace talks in Istanbul earlier this month in a renewed push to settle the conflict, which began with Russia's invasion in February 2022.



The two sides disagree over issues including territorial concessions and the prospect of Ukraine's future NATO membership, however, and fighting has raged on, with a Russian drone attack killing six people in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, on Wednesday.



"The purpose of the trip is mainly to demonstrate ... that Germany, that the new federal government, continues to stand by Ukraine in the current situation, which has not become any easier," Pistorius told journalists upon his arrival in Kyiv.



He added he would speak about more weapons support from Germany and European nations.