German minister promises Ukraine weapons, EU accession help on surprise trip - Reuters

Jan 10 (Reuters) - Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock made a astonishment sojourn to the eastbound Ukrainian metropolis of Kharkiv adjacent the Russian borderline connected Tuesday, promising much weapons arsenic good arsenic "concrete offers" to assistance Ukraine articulation the European Union.

In a connection up of a gathering with Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Baerbock expressed Germany's solidarity with Ukrainians surviving done Russia's penetration and harsh wintertime conditions.

"This metropolis is simply a awesome of the implicit insanity of the Russian warfare of aggression successful Ukraine and of the endless suffering that people, particularly present successful the eastbound of the country, are confronted with each day," she said.

After Germany past week promised to nonstop Marder warring vehicles to Ukraine arsenic portion of accrued subject support, Baerbock promised much weapons, without specifying which ones.

"In Kharkiv we tin spot the courage, the resilience and truthful the anticipation for a beingness successful peace," Baerbock told a property league aft her arrival.

Senior Russian legislator Leonid Slutsky, echoing Moscow's enactment that it launched the warfare to "denazify" Ukraine, said past would harshly justice the comments by Baerbock.

She "unfortunately cannot conceal her sympathy for the reincarnation of Nazism successful the Ukrainian task and its intelligibly nostalgic notes," helium wrote connected Telegram. Slutsky heads the overseas affairs committee successful the Duma little location of parliament.

Kuleba repeated Ukraine's longstanding telephone for tanks and said helium had nary uncertainty that Berlin would yet springiness Kyiv the coveted Leopard 2 tanks.

"I deliberation that the German authorities besides understands determination heavy successful its psyche that this determination volition beryllium approved and the tanks volition beryllium fixed to Ukraine," helium said.

Kuleba added that foot-dragging connected the contented was costing lives but besides thanked his German counterpart for the assistance truthful far.

Baerbock besides said it was important not to suffer show of Ukraine's spot successful Europe and its tendency to articulation the EU.

"We arsenic the authorities privation to marque precise factual offers to Ukraine successful bid to marque advancement successful strengthening the regularisation of law, autarkic institutions and the combat against corruption, arsenic good arsenic successful aligning with EU standards," she said.

She said Germany would supply 20 cardinal euros ($21.47 million) for demining efforts and different 20 cardinal euros to boost Ukraine's entree to Starlink net terminals.

($1 = 0.9314 euros)

Reporting by Alexander Ratz; further reporting by Dan Peleschuk and David Ljunggren; penning by Matthias Williams; Editing by Paul Carrel, Josie Kao and Cynthia Osterman

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