German Finance Minister in Kyiv: Ukraine Can Count on Berlin

German Finance Minister and Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil made an unannounced visit to Kyiv to confirm Berlin's unwavering support for Ukraine.

The Gaze reports on it, referring to Reuters.

"Putin should have no illusions that Germany's support for Ukraine could crumble," said Klingbeil, leader of the Social Democratic Party, which is part of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservative-led coalition government.

Lars Klingbeil added that Germany remains Ukraine's second largest supporter in the world and the largest in Europe. “Ukraine can continue to rely on Germany,” he emphasized.

During his visit, the German finance minister also called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to demonstrate his readiness for the peace process, stressing that the war, which is the bloodiest in Europe in the last 80 years, must end.

Klingbeil stressed that any peace talks must take place with Ukraine's participation. According to him, in order to achieve lasting peace, it is necessary to ensure a ceasefire and provide Ukraine with reliable security guarantees.

“To this end, we are coordinating closely internationally,” he noted.

According to the German Ministry of Finance, since the start of the full-scale war, the government in Berlin has provided Ukraine with more than €50 billion in support, indicating long-term and strategic assistance.

As The Gaze informed earlier, Germany has provided Ukraine with almost €29 million in cultural assistance since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, and pledged to deepen cooperation in restoring Ukraine’s war-damaged cultural heritage.