German defence chief vows support in Ukraine visit

(ANSA-AFP) - KYIV, NOV 21 - German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius arrived in Kyiv on Tuesday for an unannounced visit to reaffirm Berlin's backing for Ukraine in its fight against Russia's troops. Berlin, the second-biggest supplier of military assistance to Kyiv after the United States, is seeking to offer the reassurances after the shift in focus to the Middle East war prompted concerns about waning support for Ukraine. It was Pistorius's second visit to Kyiv since he became defence minister at the start of this year, and it comes a day after US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin also made an unannounced trip to Ukraine to offer Washington's continued support. "I am here again, firstly to pledge further support, but also to express our solidarity and deep bond and also our admiration for the courageous, brave and costly fight that is being waged here," Pistorius said laying flowers at Maidan square in central Kyiv.
    (ANSA-AFP).