Sawt Falasteen - Germany's Baerbock vows 'rock-solid' Ukraine support as Russia advances

Baerbock's eighth trip comes at a critical moment in the nearly three-year war as Kyiv voices mounting frustration with Western support for its struggling army ahead of US elections that could prove decisive for further military aid.

Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky has criticised the West for what he says is its muted response to the deployment of thousands of North Korean troops to bolster Russia's war effort in Ukraine, a major escalation in the conflict.

"Germany, together with many partners worldwide, stands rock-solid by Ukraine's side," Baerbock said in a statement as Ukraine heads into what could be its toughest winter of the war.

"We will support the people of Ukraine for as long as they need us so they can follow their path to a just peace," she added.

US President Joe Biden has vowed to continue backing Ukraine but a victory for former US leader Donald Trump would likely mean less support from Kyiv's biggest military backer.

Baerbock stressed the importance of protecting Ukraine's energy infrastructure from destruction during the winter.

- North Korean troops 'under fire' -

She said Germany was helping counter the "brutality" of Russia's campaign with "humanity and support -- so that the Ukrainians not only survive the winter, but their country can survive".

Germany, Ukraine's second-biggest backer after the United States, has pledged 170 million euros ($185 million) in emergency aid to help the country get through the winter.

Ukraine has long been asking Germany for long-range Taurus missiles but Chancellor Olaf Scholz has refused to do so due to fears of escalating and widening the conflict.

Scholz has also rejected Ukraine's request to immediately join NATO, made by Zelensky when he recently presented his "Victory Plan" to Western allies.

Zelensky told journalists last month that Berlin was "afraid" to allow Ukraine to integrate with the US-led defence alliance more closely because it feared how Russia might respond.

He has also lashed out at Western allies for their muted reaction to the apparent deployment of North Korean soldiers to the eastern Russian region of Kursk.

Ukrainian forces in August launched a surprise offensive there and Kyiv said Monday that Pyongyang's forces were already in combat in the border territory, where Russian forces have been beating back the Ukrainian incursion.

"The first North Korean soldiers have already come under fire in Kursk region," said Andriy Kovalenko, the Head of Center for Countering Disinformation.

Baerbock's arrival was announced hours after 13 people, including four police officers, were wounded in another night of Russian attacks on Ukraine's second largest city Kharkiv.

AFP journalists at the scene saw buildings gutted by the blast and first responders in helmets hauling wounded civilians to ambulances.

E.Qaddoumi--SF-PST