German Minister visits Odessa, Ukraine.

On Tuesday, Russian missiles pounded Odessa, Ukraine’s port city, as Germany’s senior envoy paid his first visit to the country since Moscow’s invasion.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock paid a surprise visit to Bucha, a town south of Kyiv where Russian troops are accused of war crimes, amid mounting criticism of Berlin’s slow response to the conflict.

New fighting have erupted in Ukraine’s east and south, with officials estimating that over 1,000 Ukrainian fighters are holed up in the besieged Azovstal facility in Mariupol’s ruined city, including hundreds of injured.

A series of missile attacks damaged buildings and set a retail mall on fire just hours after European Council President Charles Michel visited Odessa.

Michel has earlier warned that the unrest had disrupted large supply of wheat and grain from Ukraine, one of the world’s most important producers.

“The Russian war and blockade of Black Sea ports has stranded this desperately needed food, with devastating effects for vulnerable countries.” He went on to say, “We need a worldwide response.”

A wave of Western officials have visited Ukraine in recent weeks, but due to tensions between Kyiv and Berlin over the level of German support, Germany has been noticeably absent.

Olaf Scholz, the German Chancellor, has come under fire for insufficient armament deliveries to Ukraine and Germany’s refusal to quit its reliance on Russian energy imports.

Baerbock’s visit, on the other hand, was intended to send a strong message, with the foreign minister speaking to residents of Bucha, one of many towns and villages close Kyiv where Moscow’s army is accused of killing civilians.

The German was accompanied by her Dutch colleague, Wopke Hoekstra, who paid a visit to the badly destroyed commuter town of Irpin, according to a tweet.