German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has pledged continued support for Ukraine amid the pivotal US presidential election. Baerbock made the remarks during her eighth visit to Kyiv on Monday on the eve of the US presidential election.
Baerbock said Ukraine, facing its third winter of war with Russia, needs support of its allies.
"We are countering this brutality with our humanity and support, so that Ukrainians can not only survive the winter, but so that their country can survive. Because they are also defending the freedom of all of us in Europe," said the German diplomat.
The US election will affect US military aid to Ukraine as the Republican candidate Donald Trump’s victory could cast a doubt on the further support to Ukraine from its top military backer.
Baerbock said Germany had recently increased its emergency energy assistance to Kyiv by an additional 170 million euros due to the destruction of heating plants and power lines from Russian bombing. Since August, Russia has escalated its assaults on Ukraine, which Ukrainian officials claim is an attempt by Moscow to dismantle the essential infrastructure necessary for winter heating.
Meanwhile, G7 group plans to support Kyiv with approximately $50 billion in loans.
Under President Joe Biden’s administration, the US finalized its $20 billion share of that funding, with a commitment to disburse it in December, a strategy designed to protect the loan from any potential reclamation by Trump.
It should be noted that Germany is Ukraine’s second largest military backer after the United Stats.
