For three and a half years, Vladimir Putin has been waging a brutal war of aggression against Ukraine. For three and a half years, Ukraine has experienced unfathomable suffering, destruction and death. And for three and a half years, Ukraine has stood firm – with extraordinary courage and resolve – against Russia’s attacks.
In Kyiv, Finance Minister and Vice-Chancellor Lars Klingbeil declared: “Putin should be under no illusions that our support for Ukraine might waver.” On the contrary: “Our support remains steadfast.” This was Klingbeil’s renewed assurance to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which he explicitly reaffirmed later at a meeting with Ukrainian Finance Minister Sergii Marchenko.
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It can sound abstract when people say that Europe’s security is being defended in Ukraine. But in Kyiv, nothing is abstract: every day and every night, it is crystal clear what war in Europe means. This is particularly evident in the Sviatoshynskyi district, where one of the deadliest attacks on Ukraine’s capital occurred in late July. Together with Kyiv’s mayor Vitali Klitschko, Minister Klingbeil commemorated the victims by placing a candle in front of the apartment block that was damaged by Russian missiles.
This was Lars Klingbeil’s second visit to Ukraine, and his first official visit as Germany’s Finance Minister.
