Germany is an important ally of Ukraine and supports the country in the war against Russia. The German government released that message today, after it became clear yesterday that German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is not welcome in Kiev.
Steinmeier, together with Polish President Duda and their counterparts from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, wanted to show support for Ukraine in Kiev. But Ukraine’s President Zelensky is said to have made it clear that Steinmeier does not need to come because of his close ties to Russia in recent years, Bild reported.
Zelensky’s ‘nein’ triggers a stir in Germany. Many politicians in the Bundestag today express their incomprehension. Chancellor Scholz said on the radio that he finds it “annoying” that the head of state is not welcome.
Chairman of the Bundestag’s foreign affairs committee Michael Roth (SPD) traveled to the country with colleagues from other coalition parties yesterday – they were welcome. Roth says the German president was not told until after Steinmeier was already in Poland. Subsequently, the president would go to Ukraine, but that did not happen. “It’s important to keep in touch, but I’m very disappointed,” Roth said. “It’s not justifiable to our president either.”
A spokesperson for Zelensky denied today that Steinmeier would have been refused.
“honest words”
Steinmeier, foreign minister in Merkel’s third cabinet, maintained good contacts with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. He defended the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline between Russia and Germany to the very end.
Last week, Steinmeier acknowledged that Germany should have taken warnings from Eastern Europe about Moscow seriously earlier, particularly after 2014, when the conflict in eastern Ukraine began. He admitted it had been “obviously wrong” to hold onto the controversial pipeline. The Ukrainian foreign minister then said he appreciated Steinmeier’s “honest words”.
The criticism of Steinmeier does not come completely out of the blue. At the beginning of this month, the Ukrainian ambassador in Berlin already lashed out at the German president over his relations with Moscow. He also felt that other prominent politicians – such as Chancellor Scholz – maintained too close ties with Russia. Scholz has been invited by Kiev.
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