German Foreign Minister Johann Wadeful made a secret visit to the Ukrainian Black Sea city of Odessa, a strategic target of Russian missile and drone attacks, BTA reports.
The minister was accompanied by his Ukrainian counterpart Andriy Sibiga, as the two traveled from Kiev by car and a small delegation, DPA reports. The visit was kept secret until Wadeful left Ukraine for neighboring Moldova.
Odessa, Ukraine's third-largest city with a population of about one million, is a key logistics and industrial center. The presence of oil refineries, chemical and metalworking industries, as well as its strategic location as a transport hub, make it a priority target for Russian ballistic missiles launched from occupied Crimea.
Just a few days ago, a Russian drone strike on an apartment building in the city killed two people and injured 14.
During his visit to Kiev, before his visit to Odessa, Wadeful said that Germany would strengthen defense cooperation with Ukraine. He stressed that Berlin remains among Kiev's most active supporters in its fight against the Russian invasion.