December 2, 2024
Scholz visits Kyiv to meet with Zelenskyy
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrived in Kyiv for a surprise visit on Monday.
It is the first time Scholz has visited Ukraine in two and a half years.
“I traveled to Kyiv tonight: by train through a country that has been defending itself against the Russian war of aggression for over 1,000 days,” Scholz said in a post on social media.
“I would like to make it clear here on the ground that Germany will remain Ukraine’s strongest supporter in Europe.”
The German leader will hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as well as announce the delivery in December of further armaments worth €650 million ($685 million), German broadcaster ZDF cited Scholz as saying upon arrival.
Germany’s support for Ukraine comes as Europe’s largest economy is in a state of political flux, with nationwide elections set to take place in 2025.
Next year is also surrounded with uncertainty over the West’s position on Ukraine, and in particular that of the United States, with Donald Trump due to assume the presidency at the end of January 2025.
Trump has given mixed signals over his Ukraine policy and has previously said he could resolve the conflict, without explaining how.
jsi/zc (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)
https://p.dw.com/p/4ndEg
