Kiev and its allies accuse Russia of sabotaging diplomatic efforts, which have stalled in recent weeks despite Washington's desire to reach a quick peace deal.

Putin "wants to subjugate the whole of Ukraine and at the same time spread fear throughout Europe," German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said, adding that "Putin's supposed willingness to negotiate is just a facade," AFP reported.

After visiting the site of strikes in the capital Kiev, which has been subjected to heavy air bombardment, Wadephul said Germany had allocated an additional €2 billion for air defense and ammunition.

Wadephul spoke at a press conference in Kiev alongside his Ukrainian counterpart Andriy Sibiga, who accused Russia of intensifying the strikes to "sow panic and influence the mood of our population."

"To prevent this, air defense systems are undoubtedly of key importance. We are grateful to our German friends for their unprecedented assistance in strengthening our air shield," Sybiga said.

Wadephul and representatives of the German defense industry will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

"We want to create new joint ventures so that Ukraine can produce more for its own defense more quickly, because your needs are enormous," the German minister concluded. | BGNES