Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday visits Germany where Ukraine's military backers are meeting, days after one of the deadliest strikes of the war and as Russian forces make battlefield gains.
Zelensky and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will hold "one-on-one" talks in Frankfurt, according to a German government spokesman, who did not give further details about the Ukrainian leader's programme.
But German news outlet Der Spiegel reported that Zelensky will also attend the gathering of Kyiv's backers, which includes the United States, at the US Ramstein Air Base.
The meeting at the base southwest of Frankfurt is being hosted by US defence chief Lloyd Austin.
Zelensky's presence is intended to underline "the seriousness of the situation" on the ground in Ukraine, Spiegel said, days after 55 people were killed and 300 wounded in a Russian missile strike on the city of Poltava. Austin is due to speak at the opening of the meeting at around 10:00 am (0800 GMT) and will host a press conference at around 16:15 pm. The talks, with representatives from some 50 nations, will focus on areas including bolstering Ukraine's air defences and encouraging allies to boost their defence industries, said Pentagon spokesman Major General Pat Ryder. "Ukraine matters to US and international security, and the efforts of (Kyiv's allies meeting in Ramstein) continue to play a vital role in Ukraine's fight for freedom and sovereignty," he said.
The meeting comes as Moscow's forces advance in the Donbas, with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday declaring that capturing the eastern area was his "primary objective" in the conflict.
Since the start of its offensive in February 2022 when it failed to capture the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, Russia has adapted its aims, concentrating instead on trying to conquer eastern Ukraine.
While Ukraine's surprise push into Russia's Kursk region last month caught Russian forces off-guard, Putin stressed that the move had failed to slow Moscow's advance.
"The enemy weakened itself in key areas, our army has accelerated its offensive operations," Putin argued.
