Ukraine updates: Baerbock says aid delay 'jeopardizes' fight

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has urged other NATO allies to supply air defense systems to Ukraine as the country suffers sustained attacks on its energy infrastructure by Russia.

"All of our partners that can provide Patriot systems or similar systems should do this as soon as possible as this is of crucial importance for further progress in the war, and in particular for morale, security, and the country's infrastructure," Pistorius said on Latvia on Tuesday.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock also called for further international air defense support for Ukraine. 

Baerbock made the comments on a visit to Kyiv, alongside Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dymtro Kuleba.

She also praised what she called a "global initiative" launched by Germany to provide more air defense systems to Ukraine. 

The drive has so far raised nearly 1 billion euros ($1.09 billion) "but it is completely clear that even more is needed," she added.

Germany is the second-biggest supplier of military aid to Ukraine after the United States.

The Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday it had started tactical nuclear weapons exercises near Ukraine.

The drills involve "practical training in the preparation and use of non-strategic nuclear weapons," the defense ministry said. 

Russia said the drills were in response to "threats" by Western officials. The drills aim "to ensure the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Russian state," the defense ministry said. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin had called for the drills earlier this month. 

Tactical nuclear weapons, also known as non-strategic nuclear weapons, may be used on the battlefield to attack enemy targets without leading to mass destruction and radioactive effects. Russia possesses the world's largest collection of nuclear warheads.     

While in Kyiv on a surprise visit German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock  in Kyiv for a surprise visit and praised the courage and resistance of ordinary Ukrainians in the face of the ongoing Russian invasion and insisted that Kyiv's allies are as determined as ever.

"We need to gather all our strength to ensure that Ukraine survives, that Ukrainians can determine their own future and that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's troops aren't soon on our own borders," she said in Kyiv on Tuesday.

"Putin, in his imperialist madness, wanted to capture Ukraine – instead, he's bound it firmly to Europe," she continued. "Never has our destiny as Europeans been so closely linked to that of Ukraine. With great determination, Ukraine is defending its own freedom and fighting for all our freedom."

"Every hesitation and every delay in supporting Ukraine costs the lives of innocent people. And every hesitation in supporting Ukraine also jeopardizes our own security," she added.

For Baerbock, Ukraine's accession to the European Union would be the "logical geopolitical consequence of Russia's illegal war of aggression."

She said that Germany's support for Ukraine is "rooted in the conviction that Ukraine will win this war" and that Kyiv's western allies are in it for the long haul.

"Putin is speculating that we will run out of energy, but we have patience," she said. "Together with many other countries around the world, Germany stands rock solid on the side of Ukraine. And the people of Ukraine can count on that permanently."

More than 14,000 people have been displaced in Ukraine's eastern Kharkiv region as Russia pushes on with a ground offensive it launched on May 10, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.

"Over the past two weeks, fighting in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine has severely escalated," Jarno Habicht, the WHO's representative in Ukraine, told a press briefing in Geneva.

"Over 14,000 people have been displaced in a matter of days, and nearly 189,000 more still reside within 25 kilometers [16 miles] of the border with the Russian Federation, facing significant risks due to the ongoing fighting," he said.

Speaking via video-link from Kyiv, Habicht said that the offensive was causing a growing humanitarian crisis, with the conflict in Kharkiv significantly increasing the number of trauma patients, among other things.

Habicht also said that more than 20,000 amputations had been carried out since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of the neighboring country in February 2022.

The ground offensive in the Kharkiv regions has seen Russian forces achieve their largest territorial gains in Ukraine in the last 18 months.

According to the UN refugee agency UNHCR, 200,000 people are already internally displaced in Kharkiv.     

Ukraine's air defense shot down 28 of 29 Russian drones in an overnight attack on seven regions, Kyiv's air force said on Tuesday.

In Kharkiv, according to Governor Oleh Syniehubov and the Internal Affairs Ministry on Telegram, the attack damaged four homes and 25 trucks and buses in the region, injuring five people.

This was followed by the injuries of two more people in a morning missile attack on the city.

In the Dnipropetrovsk region, two downed drones caused some infrastructure damage without causing casualties, the governor reported.

Russian drones also targeted Kherson, Odesa Mykolaiv, Cherkasy, and Kirovohrad regions of Ukraine, according to the military.

Russia has increased drone and missile attacks across Ukraine this spring, primarily targeting its energy infrastructure.

 

A Ukrainian drone attack on the Russian border region of Belgorod killed one woman and wounded three others, the regional governor said on Tuesday.

The area, near Ukraine's Kharkiv region, has faced frequent attacks during the conflict.

"A kamikaze drone attacked a moving car in which there was a driver and three passengers," Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov posted on Telegram. "As a result of injuries sustained in the explosion, a woman died at the scene."

The attack occurred near Oktyabrsky, 12 kilometers (7 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

Russian President Vladimir Putin recently launched an offensive targeting Kharkiv under the pretext of protecting Russian border villages from attacks, meanwhile claiming significant territorial gains, according to Moscow.

Poland has arrested nine people for acts of sabotage ordered by Russian intelligence services, Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced on Monday.

"We currently have nine suspects arrested and charged with engaging in acts of sabotage in Poland directly on behalf of the Russian services," Tusk told private broadcaster TVN24, adding that the acts include "beatings, arson and attempted arson." He accused Moscow of trying to destabilize the country. "These are Ukrainian, Belarusian and Polish citizens."

Tusk suggested some of those recruited might have criminal backgrounds.

These activities not only targeted Poland but also Lithuania, Latvia, and possibly Sweden, thereby leading to an international investigation.

Tusk said the group is suspecte of involvement in attempted arson at a paint factory in Wroclaw, western Poland, and an Ikea center in Lithuania.

He said more information will be released to the public later.

Recently, Poland arrested a man suspected of helping Russian intelligence launch a possible attack on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Last month, Warsaw held two individuals suspected of attacking Leonid Volkov, an aide to the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock arrived in Kyiv on Tuesday morning for an unannounced visit in a show of support for Ukraine.

In Kyiv, she called for increased international support for Ukraine's air defense amid the ongoing Russian offensive.

"To protect Ukraine from the hail of Russian missiles and drones, it urgently needs more air defense," she said, urging Kyiv's allies to "join forces." The trip had not been announced for security reasons. 

Baerbock had to cancel a planned visit to Kharkiv due to the ongoing Russian attacks on the city amid a new offensive. 

"Russian missile terror, constant air raids, permanent power cuts, hardly any water: the situation in Ukraine has worsened dramatically with the massive Russian airstrikes on civilian infrastructure, and the brutal Russian offensive in the Kharkiv region, Baerbock said. 

Baerbock also warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin needs to be prevented by Ukraine and its allies from sending troops to "our own borders."

She said a German-led initiative aimed at building up Ukraine's air defenses has raised almost €1 billion ($1.09 billion) while trying to raise "even more."

"We are turning over every stone several times and have even gone ahead with an additional Patriot unit."

For months now, shortages of equipment, ammunition, and soldiers have put Ukraine at a disadvantage as the war continues for a third year.

ss/rmt (dpa, AFP, AP, Reuters)