Pentagon chief in Kiev before US vote – DW – October 21, 2024

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky received US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in Kiev on Monday, where the two discussed a range of issues related to Ukraine's ongoing defensive war against Russian aggression.

In a post on the social media platform

Zelensky thanked “US President Joe Biden, both parties in the US Congress and the American people for all their support since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Russia.”

Zelensky also said he thanked Austin for a recent $400 million (370 million euros) U.S. defense aid package that includes weapons and military equipment.

The United States is the largest donor to Ukraine's war effort, followed by Germany and Britain.

Austin's visit to Ukraine comes ahead of the US presidential election on November 5th.

Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to continue strong U.S. support for Ukraine if she is re-elected, while Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump has threatened to cut off aid to Ukraine.

Germany has inaugurated a new multinational naval headquarters for the Baltic Sea that will direct operations for NATO during a conflict.

The launch comes as the military alliance increases its focus on the area amid rising tensions with Russia.

“Our message to our partners and to those who threaten our peace is simple: Germany remains steadfast in its commitments,” Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said, according to a draft speech.

The event took place at the German naval command in the coastal town of Rostock, where the headquarters is also located.

The establishment of the facility underscores the importance of the Baltic Sea to NATO after relations with Russia deteriorated following the Ukraine War and the Russian Baltic Fleet was stationed near Kaliningrad.

Since the accession of the Baltic states, NATO has had to ensure that sea routes remain open in case the narrow land corridor connecting them to Poland is blocked in the event of a conflict with Russia.

With more than 99% of votes counted, the “yes” vote for EU membership in Moldova's referendum was slightly ahead at 50.28% – just 8,000 votes more than the anti-EU camp.

Previous findings appeared to show that Moldovans had rejected plans to allow the former Soviet republic to include its goal of joining the EU in its constitution.

An EU spokesman said Moldova's referendum on joining the EU took place with “unprecedented interference” from Russia or its proxies.

Moldova, a former Soviet republic with about 2.5 million inhabitants, applied to join the EU on February 24, 2022 following Russia's full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine and was granted candidate status alongside Ukraine in the summer.

NATO chief Mark Rutte and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol have discussed sending North Korean troops to Russia, Seoul said.

Rutte said this was a violation of UN sanctions and a serious problem, Yoon's office said. Meanwhile, Seoul said it would send a delegation to NATO to share information about the alleged deployment plan.

Russia has said it will continue to cooperate with North Korea after reports that Pyongyang's troops were training to fight for Moscow in Ukraine.

“North Korea is our close neighbor and partner and we are developing relations in all areas and it is our sovereign right. We will continue to expand this cooperation,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

He declined to answer a question about whether Russia is using North Korean troops.

The South Korean Foreign Ministry has summoned the Russian ambassador to Seoul in protest against the so-called sending of North Korean troops to Russia for deployment in Ukraine.

Seoul Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun called on Russia's top envoy Georgy Zinoviev to demand the immediate withdrawal of North Korean soldiers.

Kim said the presence of North Korean troops in the Ukraine war was a violation of U.N. resolutions and the U.N. Charter. He said it posed a serious threat to the security of South Korea and beyond.

“We strongly condemn North Korea’s illegal military cooperation, including sending troops to Russia,” the ministry quoted Kim as saying.

“We will respond together with the international community by mobilizing all available means against actions that threaten our core security interests.” The ministry said Zinoviev told Kim that he would pass on the message to Moscow.

South Korea's spy service said last week that North Korea had sent 1,500 special forces to Russia's Far East for training and acclimatization at local military bases. It was said they would likely be used to fight in the war in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Pyongyang of preparing to send 10,000 soldiers to Russia.

He called on Sunday for a strong response from countries that have recognized North Korea's increasing involvement in the Ukraine war.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has warned both Pyongyang and Moscow against sending North Korean soldiers to the Ukraine war.

Deploying North Korean soldiers to fight with Russia in North Korea “would mean a significant escalation,” Rutte said after talks with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

The pair also discussed the close relationship between South Korea and the Western military alliance, Rutte said.

He referred to their cooperation in the defense industry and their “connected security.”

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has made an unannounced visit to Ukraine – his fourth since taking office in 2021.

The trip comes at a precarious time for the country in the run-up to the US election, as Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has expressed reluctance to further support Kyiv.

Austin wrote on

He was expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.

Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris has promised to continue military aid to Ukraine if she wins on November 5th.

The US has been Ukraine's largest military and financial supporter since the full-scale Russian invasion began in February 2022.

Russian forces have made slow and steady advances in eastern Ukraine this year. While Zelensky has urged his allies in the West to allow Ukraine to attack targets deep inside Russia, this has so far been unsuccessful.

rc/wmr (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)