German foreign minister visits Ukraine's Odessa on anniversary of war

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock travelled to Odessa together with her Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba on Saturday in a show of support as Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine entered into its third year.

The visit to the Ukrainian port city on the Black Sea, which was the target of Russian attacks less than 24 hours before, had initially been kept secret for security reasons.

It is Baerbock's sixth trip to Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022.

The two ministers travelled to Ukraine together after attending meetings of the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council in New York on Friday to mark the second anniversary of the start of the war. They made there way there flying via Berlin and Moldova from where they travelled overland to Odessa.

At the beginning of their visit, Baerbock and Kuleba were briefed on the current situation in the port of Odessa. After a tour of the harbour - a major hub for Ukrainian grain exports - the commander of the Ukrainian naval forces briefed Baerbock on the security situation in the Black Sea.

Ukraine is one of the world's most important grain exporters. From July 2022 to July 2023, the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which was also negotiated with the mediation of Turkey, enabled the export of almost 33 million tonnes of grain despite Russia's naval blockade.

After Moscow refused to extend the agreement, Ukraine established a military security corridor. Since then, it has exported almost 20 million tonnes of cargo across the Black Sea within six months, 70% of which was agricultural products, according to the Ukrainian government, Ukraine.

During remarks given at the Ukrainian-Moldovan border, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba expressed optimism about his country's future in the European Union.

"Two years ago, I could not have imagined that in 2024 there would be so many reasons to be proud to be European," said Kuleba during a joint appearance with Baerbock at the Palanca border crossing between Moldova and Ukraine.

Baerbock said today could also be described as a "day of joy" because the European flag could be seen at the border crossing. "Over the past two years, we have travelled this European path together."

The EU decided last December to launch accession negotiations with the government in Kiev. However, it is expected to take many more years before Ukraine could join the bloc.

From the border, the two ministers travelled on to Odessa, which had just been attacked with Russian combat drones for the second night in a row on the eve of the two-year anniversary.

An elderly man was killed in a small residential building when a drone struck the city late on Friday, after three people were killed in a fire that broke out in a destroyed sewing factory following a drone attack on Thursday evening.

As the war in Ukraine entered into its third war, citizens were mourning their relatives and friends killed in attacks or on the front line.

At a cemetery west of Odessa, the widow Anna and her father-in-law Oleksandr laid a flag and sweets on the grave of Andriy, a soldier killed two months ago at the age of 38.

He had volunteered in March 2023 and was killed in fighting in the Bakhmut area, they said.

People across Europe took to the streets on Saturday to express their solidarity with Ukraine. In Germany, thousands of people joined rallies across the country.

In Berlin, some 5,000 gathered near the city's Brandenburg Gate landmark, according to police. Organizers put the number at 7,000.

Large rallies were also held in Cologne with some 6,000 participants according to organizers, and Saarbrücken with some 2,000 participants according to police.

Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner called for rapid weapons deliveries for Ukraine, including the Taurus missiles that Kiev has long been asking for.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has been blocking the delivery of the long-range German-made Taurus missiles out of concern that they could be used to strike targets within Russia itself and further escalate the conflict.

Scholz on Saturday called for Germany and Europe to make a bigger effort when it comes to defence.

"Russia is not only attacking Ukraine, it is also destroying peace in Europe," Scholz said.

Ukraine would be supported in its self-defence "for as long as necessary," he said.

"And we, Germany and Europe, are doing more - and must do even more - so that we can defend ourselves effectively."