Two killed in Russian attacks near Kiev as German minister visits

Two people were killed in Russian missile strikes near Kiev on Saturday as German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul visited the capital days before Ukraine marks the 35th anniversary of its independence - and vowed to keep supporting the war-torn country. 

"There have been two fatalities, one of them a child," Wadephul said. "This makes it painfully clear to us once again: We are in a war zone." 

And this war is not only being fought on the front line, but all over the country, he said, as Moscow's forces struck targets throughout the beleaguered nation. "This also makes it clear that practical support for this country remains essential," Wadephul said.

Air-raid alerts sounded in Kiev during an event with veterans attended by Wadephul and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as Russia launched a ballistic missile attack on the nearby city of Boryspil, home to the international airport that has been closed since the start of the war. 

According to reports from the Ukrainian Air Force, at least three missiles were fired on the city, which lies just under 30 kilometres east of the capital. Cluster munitions may also have been used, Ukrainian reports said.

Eight others were injured in the incident, said the governor of Kiev region, Tymur Tkachenko, with damage reported to storage facilities, vehicles and buildings. 

The attack was the latest in a recent series of Russian strikes across Ukraine, with 16 people killed in a shopping centre in Zelensky's home city of Kryvyi Rih on Friday, and a further 16 killed in the capital on Thursday.

After arriving by special train at Kiev's main railway station, Wadephul condemned Russia's escalating drone and missile strikes, accusing Moscow of the "indiscriminate murder of civilians" and the deliberate destruction of energy infrastructure.

Wadephul said Russia was trying to destroy the livelihoods of the Ukrainian population and break their will to resist.

The months of July and August have been the deadliest for the Ukrainian civilian population in more than four years, he said.

"Never before has Russia fired more missiles at its neighbouring country," Wadephul said. "We see the suffering, we see how this country has struggled, and we will continue to support this country."

"We stand on Ukraine's side," he added. "It will win this military confrontation."

Wadephul promises support

The German foreign minister pledged further support for Ukraine as it prepares for a fifth winter of war since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, with further attacks on its energy infrastructure expected. 

"No country invests as much in military and financial support for Ukraine as Germany," Wadephul said, expressing hope that Russia could be brought to the negotiating table even as diplomatic efforts have stalled.

Ukraine has stepped up its assault on Russia's oil facilities and logistics centres this year, aiming to damage Moscow's war economy with drone strikes deep in the Russian interior. 

However, a shortage of air-defence systems such as Patriot missiles has left the country vulnerable to Russian missile strikes, leading Zelensky to plead for more support from Ukraine's partners.

Wadephul said he was in discussions with both European and non-European counterparts regarding further support in the form of air-defence systems.

He is keen to send Kiev a signal of solidarity as Ukraine marks its independence from the Soviet Union on Monday, with the Independence Day celebration the occasion for Wadephul's visit. 

Despite dwindling public support in Germany for the multibillion-euro aid package for Ukraine, Wadephul left no doubt that such support would continue. 

He said he would continue to try as early as next week to persuade allies to provide Patriots: "The urgency of supporting Ukraine with further air-defence systems is once again clear here."

Potential suppliers include Greece, Italy, Japan and South Korea. Germany's armed forces, or Bundeswehr, have already handed over five systems to Ukraine and see no further possibility of supplying from their own stocks, Wadephul said. 

However, he suggested German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius review the stocks once again. "He must examine the stocks together with his experts and see if anything else is possible," Wadephul said. 

Wadephul also said he wants to speak with his US counterpart Marco Rubio about reviving diplomatic efforts to end the war. 

"I am counting on the US remaining willing to play an active role here too in the negotiations with Ukraine," he said. "But I also believe it was right for us Europeans to come together within the E3 framework in the first half of this year."

The E3 format brings together Germany, France and the United Kingdom.

"I believe we need to be prepared to take an unconventional approach," Wadephul continued. "We must try every possible means to initiate talks. At present, this is being thwarted by Moscow." 

"It is becoming clear to more and more people in Russia that Ukraine, with international support, has the staying power, and that a continuation of the war will only lead Russia further into economic ruin," said Wadephul. 

"The increasingly confused propaganda and ever more totalitarian repression at home are also a sign of the regime's weakness."

During his meeting with Wadephul, Zelensky expressed his gratitude for German aid and called the minister's visit a "strong signal."

Message to Moscow

Wadephul also sent a clear message to the Kremlin. 

"Putin must know that, together with its supporters, Ukraine has the staying power to reach its ultimate goal: peace at last." How the war ends is a crucial question for the future of Europe, he said. 

"And it must end in such a way that it is not the law of the strongest that prevails, but the strength of the law."

He earlier visited the national memorial to the fallen on the Maidan, or Independence Square, with his Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha. 

The visit was Wadephul's fourth to Ukraine since he took office.