German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius arrived on an unannounced visit to Kyiv on the morning of November 21.
What is known about Pistorius' visit to Kyiv
The program of the visit includes meetings with the head of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Rustem Umierov and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, laying wreaths on Independence Square, where pro-European protests began ten years ago, as well as a visit to the Ukrainian military training centre.
The German Ministry of Defense said the purpose of the trip was to confirm Germany's support for Ukraine.
The main topics of the meetings will be the training of Ukrainian soldiers and military assistance to Kyiv.
This is Pistorius's second visit to Kyiv since he took the post of Minister of Defense in January. The last time he was in Ukraine was in February.
Germany will double aid to Ukraine
The ruling coalition of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has agreed in principle to double military aid to Ukraine next year to 8 billion euros.
The publication's source said that if approved by parliament, where Scholz's party has a majority, the increase would bring Germany's defence spending to 2.1% of GDP, higher than the 2% promised by all UN members.
According to the source, lawmakers from Scholz's Social Democrats, the Free Democrats and the Green Party agreed on the spending increase during negotiations on the draft federal budget for 2024 ahead of an official meeting of the budget committee of the Bundestag, the lower house of parliament, on Thursday, November 16.
On November 11, Bild reported that Germany will double its military aid to Ukraine by 2024. Instead of four billion euros, eight billion euros will now be allocated.
