German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Tuesday visited Ukraine for the first time since the beginning of the Russian invasion, where he condemned Russia’s recent actions and promised timely delivery of weapons promised to Kyiv, CNN reports.

Speaking to journalists together with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, Steinmeier criticized the “irresponsible nuclear rhetoric” of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, the partial mobilization of troops and the so-called annexation of Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions.

The presidents met on the day when a conference on the restoration of Ukraine was held in Berlin. In a joint statement, Zelenskyi said that he had appointed Steinmeier as the patron of reconstruction of the Chernihiv region.

The leaders of the two countries discussed Ukraine’s economic, financial, and defense needs, including artillery systems, armored vehicles, and other weapons, Zelenskyy said in a message on the Telegram channel.

Speaking in Kyiv, Steinmeier promised that in the coming days Ukraine will receive Mars II systems plus two more self-propelled howitzers from Germany.

“Today, Germany is one of the main suppliers of air defense to Ukraine,” he said.

“Thirty Gepard tanks, three multiple rocket launchers Mars II, several thousand anti-aircraft guns, one of the world’s most modern air defense systems Iris-T. I hope this will help make people safer, protect them from Russia’s brutal aggression.”

This is Steinmeier’s first visit to Ukraine since the start of the war, after two failed attempts in April, when he was denied a visit because of his ties to Russia, and last week, when the visit was canceled due to security concerns.

The German president is believed to have had close ties with Russia in his previous political position. Ukraine has previously criticized Steinmeier because of his ties to Russia and the leading role he played as former foreign minister in improving relations with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.