German defense minister makes unannounced visit to Kyiv

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) – Germany’s defense minister on Tuesday arrived in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv on a surprise visit.

“Minister (Boris) Pistorius traveled to Ukraine to personally see the current situation and the effectiveness of German support,” said a statement by the German Defense Ministry on X.

The statement said that Pistorius began his visit by laying flowers at a memorial dedicated to the Maidan Revolution.

No further details have yet been published about the visit.

The German defense chief’s visit coincides with Ukraine’s Day of Dignity and Freedom, which commemorates the Orange Revolution, a series of nationwide protests against allegations of electoral fraud during the 2004 presidential elections, and the Maidan Revolution, mass protests which led to the ouster of then President Viktor Yanukovych, who was widely perceived as a pro-Russian ruler.

A day earlier, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin also made an unannounced visit to Kyiv, as he held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov.