Zelenskyy later described it in his daily video message as a complete routine. “Rotation is a normal part of diplomatic practice. New representatives of Ukraine are appointed for the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Norway and India,” he said.
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To what extent this is related to Melnyk’s statements to Ukrainian nationalist Stepan Bandera, in which he denied his involvement in ethnic cleansing against Poles and his anti-Semitism, remained unclear. Historians accuse Bandera of collaboration with the Nazis and at least partial responsibility for the extermination of Poles and Jews during World War II. However, in Melnyk’s homeland, in western Ukraine, Bandera is still revered by many as a freedom fighter.
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“However, what is certain is that the days of the most famous and at the same time the most controversial ambassador in Germany in recent decades are numbered,” wrote Die Zeit newspaper.
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He did not spare the Germans
Ambassadors usually act in private and try to discreetly represent their country’s interests. Melnyk was the exact opposite. With an open visor and extremely sharply, he asked Germany to support his country’s fight against the Russian aggressors. “He was seen as a thorn in the side of the German government and the coalition. On the other hand, the diplomat, who speaks excellent German, has become a welcome guest on talk shows as the voice of Ukraine,” assessed the German Sunday Welt am Sonntag.
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Melnyk comes from Lviv in western Ukraine, where he studied law before joining the diplomatic service. Before becoming ambassador in Berlin in January 2015, he served as ambassador to Austria and consul general in Hamburg, but also held various positions in the presidential office and the foreign ministry in Kyiv.
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He was at odds with the German leadership long before the Russian attack on Ukraine – especially with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (66), whom he openly criticized several times for his friendliness towards Moscow.
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Hardly a day passed after the start of the invasion that he did not call for tanks and anti-aircraft guns and accuse the German government of hesitation and indecision.
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When asked what drives him, Melnyk replied: “I want my conscience to remain clear. When the children ask me after the war what I did in Berlin, I would like to say: I left no stone unturned.”
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It was only when the ambassador called the chancellor an “insulted liver” that some politicians were shocked. “Olaf Scholz is not some sausage, he is the chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany,” said FDP vice-chairman Wolfgang Kubicki (70) at the time.
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