The situation at a glance: Zelenskyj thanks Baerbock for help – attention to North Korea

At a meeting in Kiev, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj thanked Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock for German support in the war against the aggressor Russia. Ukraine is grateful to Germany, the federal government and the chancellor as well as the population for the military and financial help, said Zelensky in the Ukrainian capital. Baerbock said that her eighth visit was also necessary against the background of the US presidential election and the situation in the Middle East to show that attention to Ukraine is not dwindling.

In the US presidential election on Tuesday, two candidates, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, will be competing against each other whose signals to Ukraine during the election campaign were very different. While Democrat Harris promised further war support for the Ukrainian defenders, Trump repeatedly claimed that he could end the Russian war of aggression in 24 hours. There are fears in Kiev and Brussels that he could force Ukraine into negotiations with Russia by stopping military aid.

According to Zelenskyj, the discussions with Baerbock revolved around the situation in Europe and Ukraine. There was discussion about how pressure could be put on Russia to bring peace closer. He didn’t give any details.

Baerbock held several talks in Ukraine on Monday. Germany has promised the country additional winter aid of 200 million euros ahead of the third winter of war and in view of ongoing Russian attacks on the infrastructure.

Baerbock’s Ukrainian colleague Andrij Sybiha praised Germany for showing steadfast leadership in supporting his country in difficult times. “We talked about further support in the military and energy sectors, investments in Ukraine’s defense industry and ways to expand drone production,” he wrote on the short message service X after the meeting with the Green politician.

Zelensky: 11,000 North Koreans in Russian Kursk Region

In his evening video message, Zelensky once again criticized the fact that he was missing an appropriate response from his Western partners to the transfer of North Korean soldiers to Russia. According to him, 11,000 North Korean soldiers have already arrived in the Russian border region of Kursk; the US Department of Defense estimates the number at 10,000 men. “We are seeing an increase in North Koreans, but we are not seeing an increase in the response of our partners, unfortunately,” Zelensky said.

The leadership in Kiev fears that the soldiers will soon be deployed on Ukrainian territory and that North Korea will thereby condone a violation of UN sanctions. From the perspective of Germany and other Western countries, this step would mean a massive escalation of the conflict.

Kremlin leader Putin receives North Korea’s foreign minister again

Russian President Vladimir Putin once again received North Korea’s Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui in the Kremlin. The content of the conversation was not leaked to the outside world. What is clear, however, is that North Korea is supporting its neighbor Russia in its war of aggression against Ukraine. Choe was last a guest in the Kremlin in January – and said on Friday at a meeting with her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov that North Korea would help Russia in the war until victory.

The country, which is largely isolated internationally, is also criticized for supplying arms to Russia. In the summer, during a visit to North Korea, Putin signed a treaty with ruler Kim Jong Un on a strategic partnership between the two countries, which also provides for mutual military assistance. Putin recently said that the design of the relevant article still needs to be clarified.

Kyiv: Negotiations with Moscow through mediators

Meanwhile, the head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Andriy Yermak, commented on media reports that Moscow and Kiev allegedly wanted to negotiate to refrain from attacking each other’s energy infrastructure. There are no such discussions between the two sides, said Jermak in an interview with the “1+1” channel. Russia also denied this. There are only video conferences organized by Kiev on the issue of energy security, which is listed in the “peace formula” presented by Zelensky in 2022, said Yermak.

At the same time, Zelensky’s head of the law firm admitted that Kiev was ready to reach an agreement with Moscow through intermediaries. “If today Qatar or any other country is willing to implement these agreements through separate treaties with Ukraine and Russia: here you go.” However, there are currently no agreements in place. “Ukraine is not conducting any negotiations with Russia,” emphasized Yermak.

In the past, agreements between the warring parties were reached with the mediation of Turkey when it came to the shipping of Ukrainian grain across the Black Sea. The grain agreement later collapsed because Moscow no longer saw any benefit in it.