Zelenskiy in Berlin as Ukraine seeks more German help
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy met in Berlin with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, one of the biggest supporters of Ukraine, where Kiev is struggling to defeat Russia’s all-out occupation, which is in its fifth year.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius was also in talks with his counterpart, Mykhailo Fedorov, a former Ukrainian digital transformation chief who was newly appointed in January and is credited with advancing military drone technology.
U.S.-led efforts to end Russia’s war against Ukraine have faded recently as the Iran war caught the attention of the Trump administration; but deputy US ambassador to the United Nations Tammy Bruce told the UN Security Council on Monday that Washington “will continue to press for a negotiated and permanent end” to the war.
Western analysts and officials say Ukraine has recorded battlefield successes against Russia’s massive army in recent months, disrupting Russia’s spring offensive as the weather improves as fields dry and new leaves in tree rows provide greater protection.
Meanwhile, long-range drones and missiles designed and manufactured by Kiev are repeatedly hitting oil facilities and production facilities deep within Russia.
Ukraine is “in a much better place than it has been at any stage of this terrible war,” Finnish President Alexander Stubb said Monday at the Brookings Institution in Washington.
Stubb stated that Ukraine is “at its peak militarily” and noted that in March Ukraine launched more unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles at Russia than Russia launched at Ukraine.
Moscow also claimed progress on the battlefield.
It was not possible to independently verify either party’s claims.
Russia occupies approximately 20 percent of Ukraine, including the Crimean Peninsula, which it captured in 2014.
Ukraine is strapped for cash and needs a promised 90 billion euro ($A149 billion) loan from the European Union.
This had been advocated by Hungary’s Viktor Orban, but his departure as prime minister after weekend elections could free up the sum.
Kiev also relies heavily on U.S. intelligence to target interior Russia and needs more advanced American-made air defense systems to stop missile attacks on Russia’s power grid.
Zelenskiy fears that vital US support for Kiev will erode if the Iran war drags on for a long time.
The Ukrainian army is understaffed and faces about 200,000 soldiers deserting and nearly two million draft dodgers, defense minister Fedorov said in January.
