German Defense Minister in Kyiv: "It's crucial for us to demonstrate our support for Ukraine."

"It is important for me to demonstrate through this trip that we continue to actively support Ukraine as the largest NATO country in Europe," stated the minister before negotiations with members of the Ukrainian leadership.

As noted by DPA, the visit comes less than a week before Donald Trump returns to the presidency of the United States, raising doubts about the future military assistance to Kyiv from Washington.

On January 13, Boris Pistorius discussed European assistance to Ukraine in Warsaw with ministers from Poland, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom.

Berlin aims to significantly contribute to strengthening the Ukrainian arms industry in collaboration with four major European partners, the German minister said while speaking in Warsaw. "If there is funding and capacity for arms production, Ukraine will be able to supply its troops with materials and weapons faster than anyone else," Pistorius added.

The consultations among European defense ministers in the "five" format were organized after Donald Trump's victory in the U.S. presidential elections to enhance European security and defense capabilities, notes "Deutsche Welle".

• Recently, German Defense Minister Pistorius refuted information from Der Spiegel that Chancellor Olaf Scholz's administration had blocked a new military aid package for Ukraine worth three billion euros. "There is no blockade. We in the Ministry of Defense have prepared a new aid package for Ukraine. However, the internal approval process in the German government has not yet been completed," Pistorius told the Berlin newspaper Tagesspiegel.