Germany's Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul condemned Russia's escalating drone and missile assault on Ukraine on Saturday, as he arrived in Kyiv to demonstrate Berlin's continued support.

"Ukraine is celebrating its 35th Independence Day these days. At the same time, Putin's rockets and drones are attacking the country more relentlessly than ever before," Wadephul wrote on X.

"The Russian attacks are deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure such as power and heating supply," he wrote, adding Germany was "working to support Ukraine in its winter preparations." 

Germany's top diplomat met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later on Saturday.

"We discussed strengthening air defense and supporting our people ahead of the winter period," Zelenskyy said on social media.

"This is priority number one, and I am grateful to Germany for its leadership on this issue and for its efforts to provide us with as much assistance as possible," he added. "We also discussed the work of our teams on an agreement in the Drone Deal format, so that we can sign it in the near future."

Ukraine will mark the 35th anniversary of its independence from the Soviet Union on August 24. This will be its fifth straight Independence Day fighting Russia's invasion, which began in February 2022.

Wadephul's visit to Ukraine comes amid increasing Russian air assaults and what he called "indiscriminate murder of civilians."

As Wadephul and Zelenskyy attended the 9th International Veterans Forum, air raid sirens sounded in Kyiv as Russian missiles attacked the nearby suburb of Boryspil. At least two people were killed in the attack. 

Earlier on Saturday morning, drone and missile attacks also killed at least two people in Kyiv and the southern city of Zaporizhzhia.

On Friday, an attack on a shopping center in Kryvyi Rih killed at least 15 people and injured more than 100.

Ukraine continues attacks on Russian infrastructure facilities

Ukraine has been increasingly targeting Russian oil and gas production and processing sites in recent months.

Overnight, Ukrainian drones hit an industrial facility as well as a warehouse owned by popular online retailer Ozon in Russia's southwest Samara region.

In ⁠a post on Telegram, Samara Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev said that several people had been wounded in the strikes.

He did not name the ​industrial facility struck, but Ukraine's military said it had struck the region's Novokuibyshevsk refinery, ​causing a fire.

Ukrainian drones also struck other regions in Russia, with regional officials having said that at least six civilians were killed in strikes.

While Kyiv has stepped up its strikes on Russia, it is running short of air defense units, leading to more casualties at home.

What else did Wadephul say during his visit to Kyiv?

The German foreign minister, after reaching Kyiv via a special train, told reporters that July and August had been the deadliest months for Ukrainian civilians in more than four years.

"Never before has Russia fired more missiles at its neighboring country," Wadephul said. "We see the suffering, we see how this country has struggled, and we will continue to support this country."

"We stand on Ukraine's side," he added. "It will win this military confrontation."

Wadephul went on to pledge further support for Ukraine, which is set to face another winter with more attacks expected on its energy infrastructure.

"No country invests as much in military and financial support for Ukraine as Germany," Wadephul said, on his fourth visit to the war-torn nation in 16 months.

Speaking alongside his Ukrainian counterpart Andriy Sybiga, he said Russia's "brutal war of aggression... has in no way abated."

"On the contrary, Putin has even increased the intensity of his war. He is deliberately terrorising civilians, attacking civilian infrastructure with rockets and swarms of drones," Wadephul said.

Despite the recent escalation, Wadephul also expressed hope that Russia could be brought to the negotiating table, even as diplomatic efforts have stalled.

Edited by: Karl Sexton

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