Defense Minister Pistorius reached Kyiv

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on Monday rejected Russian President Vladimir Putin’s offer to seek mediation from former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder to end the war in Ukraine.

“Gerhard Schröder has been a high-level lobbyist for Russian state-owned companies. So it’s clear why Putin would want him to be someone so that really, you know, he would be sitting on both sides of the table,” Kallas said of the former German leader, who has maintained close ties to Moscow and is a personal friend of Putin.

Callas also rejected the premise of giving Moscow the right to appoint negotiators, saying “it would not be very wise.”

Schröder’s office declined to comment on Putin’s proposal on Sunday.

Five pro-Palestinian activists will appear in court in the western German city of Stuttgart on Monday to face trial over an alleged attack on an Israeli defense company site in the city of Ulm.

The five defendants, three women and two men aged between 25 and 40 of Irish, British, Spanish and German nationalities, are accused of breaking into the company’s premises at night and destroying valuable company items.

The company in question is Elbit Systems, a provider of military equipment to the Israeli army. They are accused of attacking the company in September last year in protest against Germany’s support for Israel during the war on Gaza.

They became known as the Ulm 5 and were charged with criminal damage and trespassing as well as membership of a criminal organization over their links with Palestine Action Germany.

The trial began in late April when dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside the court and applauded as the defendants were brought into the courtroom.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius arrived in Ukraine’s capital Kiev on Monday for an unannounced visit aimed at discussing defense cooperation in the field of weapons systems.

Speaking to the German dpa news agency in Kiev, Pistorius said the main goal of his visit was to strengthen the two countries’ strategic partnership, including building new weapons systems together.

“Germany and Ukraine are strategic partners, this cooperation will benefit both,” he said. “The focus is on the joint development of state-of-the-art unmanned systems at all ranges, especially in the deep attack area. This is how we strengthen the security of our countries.”

The term “deep strike” refers to the ability to destroy critical targets deep within enemy territory, something Ukraine has recently been attempting to expand into in its war with Russia.

NATO’s European partners still lack so-called capability in the area of ​​long-range weapons, something Pistorius believes needs to be fixed as soon as possible.

Pistorius’ visit on Monday comes as a temporary ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine is about to expire. US President Donald Trump announced a weekend ceasefire on Friday and both sides confirmed it.

It coincided with Russia’s military parade celebrating its victory in World War II, with President Vladimir Putin adamant not to be troubled by potential Ukrainian attacks.

Good morning on a gloomy, rainy day in Bonn, where spring has once again retreated.

We’re back from that sunny weekend, where we’ll be bringing you all the latest news, videos and analysis on all things Germany, including the Defense Minister’s surprise visit to Kiev and a test session of pro-Palestinian activists.

Stay tuned!