Ukraine updates: German prime diplomat arrives in Kyiv

Outgoing German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock arrived in Kyiv on Tuesday morning, on the heels of Berlin promising a further €130 million ($140 million) in aid for Ukraine.

In a short statement about her trip, Baerbock warned the United States not to misled by what she described as “stalling tactics” by the Kremlin. US President Donald Trump has made repeated concessions to Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, but that has yet to yield results at the negotiating table.

“At the upcoming meeting of NATO foreign ministers, we will make it clear to the American side that we should not engage with Putin’s stalling tactics,” Baerbock said.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi was due to visit Russia on Tuesday for talks on Ukraine as Beijing eyes a more direct role in ceasefire negotiations.

Wang was expected to meet directly with President Putin to discuss “prospects for a resolution of the Ukraine crisis,” the Kremlin said.

After his arrival, Wang issued a statement saying that China and Russia would be “friends forever, never enemies.”

China has been repeatedly criticized internationally for supporting Moscow since its invasion of Ukraine, and has been accused of more or less covertly supplying weapons for its war effort.

Germany’s outgoing foreign minister Annalena Baerbock arrived in Kyiv on Tuesday on a previously-unannounced visit.

Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Minister will meet with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow.

The trips come as the United States, Russia and Ukraine negotiate the terms of a potential ceasefire and minerals deal.