The German chancellor has condemned what he called the “unimaginable cruelty” of the conflict in Ukraine, during a visit to the Kiev suburb of Irpin on Thursday. Olaf Scholz was joined in Kiev by French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, and Romanian President Klaus Iohannis.
“The brutal destruction of this city is a memorial: this war must end,” Scholz wrote on Twitter.
Irpin saw intense fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces in the first weeks of the conflict, following Russia’s attack in late February.
Moscow withdrew its troops from the Kiev region and some other Ukrainian territories in early April, calling it a goodwill gesture aimed at aiding peace talks. The negotiations have since stalled.
While calling for the fighting to stop, Scholz also vowed to send more weapons to Kiev.
“We are supporting Ukraine with arms supplies and will continue to do so as long as Ukraine needs our support,” he said, adding that the German military is currently training Ukrainian troops in the use of German-made heavy weaponry including PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzers and Gepard self-propelled anti-air guns.