KYIV -- German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock met with Ukrainian officials on November 4 in Kyiv where she arrived in a show of support for Ukraine as Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine nears the 1,000-day mark amid daily strikes on the war-wracked country's infrastructure and heavy fighting in the east.
"Germany, together with many partners around the world, stands firmly by Ukraine's side," Baerbock said upon arrival on her eighth visit since the start of the war.
"We will support the Ukrainians for as long as they need us so that they can follow their path to a just peace," she said after arriving in Kyiv by train.
Baerbock's visit comes as Ukrainians face the prospect of a third winter of war amid energy shortages and the reported arrival of North Korean troops to fight on Russia's side.
"Almost 1,000 days of rocket attacks, wailing sirens and the noise of tanks. Almost 1,000 days of power cuts, collapse of heating systems, and countless missed lessons," Baerbock said in a separate statement.
"For almost 1,000 days now, Putin’s war has been shaking the everyday life of Ukrainians to the core – yet not their courage and their hope of a life in safety in a free Ukraine," she said.
"We are countering this brutality with our humanity and support -- not only so that the Ukrainian people can survive the winter but also so that their country can continue to exist."
Russia on November 4 launched 80 drones and several missiles and guided aerial bombs in another massive attack on 11 Ukrainian regions, Ukraine's air force reported, adding that its air-defense systems shot down 50 over the Kyiv, Sumy, Odesa, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Zhytomyr, Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, and Kirovohrad regions.
It said that another 27 drones were lost in various parts of Ukraine.
Separately, Andriy Yermak, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's chief of staff, warned North Korea in a message on Telegram.
"North Korean military will die in Kursk region, because they, like the Russian army, pose a threat to Ukraine. They are present there and, of course, they will die,” Yermak said on November 4.
Zelenskiy has criticized Ukraine's Western allies for their muted response to the reported deployment of thousands of North Korean soldiers to the eastern Russian region of Kursk, where Ukrainian troops in August launched a surprise offensive.
However, on November 4, Zelenskiy sounded some optimism about weapons and ammunition deliveries from Ukraine's allies after a meeting with General Oleksandr Syrskiy, the commander in chief of Ukraine's forces, and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.
"There have been significant improvements in partner supplies to the front line, with an increase in deliveries under support packages. Artillery supplies have also seen marked improvements," Zelenskiy wrote on X.
