Germany’s vice chancellor calls for quick release $3.1b in Ukraine aid

FRANKFURT: Robert Habeck, Germany’s economics minister and vice chancellor, on Saturday threw his support behind Ukraine, calling for the speedy release of 3 billion euros ($3.1 billion) for Ukraine’s defence.

“In order to secure the necessary support for Ukraine, we should now do what we can in the short term,” he said in a post on X.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will meet British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Saturday, Starmer’s office said, ahead of a wider summit of European leaders in London on Sunday to discuss a peace plan for Ukraine.

“The Prime Minister and President Zelenskiy will be meeting in Downing Street this afternoon,” a spokesperson for Starmer’s office said.

Trump-Zelensky row: VP Vance takes on attack dog role for Trump

The meeting follows an extraordinary public spat between Zelenskiy and Donald Trump at the White House over the war with Russia, with the US president threatening to withdraw support for Ukraine.

Zelenskiy had seen the meeting in the Oval Office as an opportunity to convince the United States not to side with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who ordered the invasion of Ukraine three years ago.

Starmer spoke to both Trump and Zelenskiy on Friday and expressed his “unwavering support” for Ukraine, echoing similar statements of backing for Zelenskiy from other European leaders.

Three killed in Ukrainian attack on Russian-controlled part of Kherson region
On the other hand, three people have been killed in a Ukrainian attack on a Russian-occupied part of Kherson region in southern Ukraine, Russian-installed governor Vladimir Saldo said.

Two of them were killed on a road between the villages of Nova Maiachka and Obryvka, while the third was killed in the town of Oleshky, Saldo said via his channel on Telegram.
Five other people were injured of varying degrees of severity, Saldo said.