German president is not welcome in Ukrainian capital Kiev after visit to Warsaw
April 13, 2022, 9:27 am

German president is not welcome in Ukrainian capital Kiev after visit to Warsaw

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier speaks during the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany February 14, 2020. (Reuters)

The A news reported, plans for German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to visit Kiev in the company of other European heads of state have been abandoned as he is apparently not welcome in the Ukrainian capital.

Steinmeier said during a visit to Warsaw on Tuesday for talks with President Andrzej Duda: "I was ready to go, but apparently - and I have to acknowledge this - this was not wanted in Kiev."

Duda had in recent days pressed for a joint visit along with the heads of state of the Baltic republics, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, with a view to "sending a strong signal of joint European solidarity with Ukraine."

Ukraine's ambassador to Berlin, Andriy Melnyk, said Kiev was inviting Scholz.

Melnyk told German television channels ProSieben and SAT.1 late Tuesday (Apr 12): "We communicated that my president and the government would be very happy if Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Kiev."

Volodymyr Zelensky and Olaf Scholz (File photo: Facebook)

Melnyk made clear over the weekend that Kiev expected a visit from Chancellor Olaf Scholz rather than from the president, whose role is largely ceremonial.

A Steinmeier visit would have largely symbolic character, according to the ambassador, who has gained a reputation in Germany for his outspokenness over a perceived lack of material support from the European Union's powerhouse.

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Melnyk told dpa: : "The chancellor or other members of the German government should come instead, who could make concrete decisions on further substantial support for Ukraine."

Ukraine has demanded surplus heavy weapons, including tanks and artillery, from Germany, but this has been blocked by Scholz, who is insisting on joint EU action.

Other NATO countries such as the Czech Republic had already opted to deliver heavy weapons, Melnyk stressed. The Ukrainian government hoped the German federal government in Berlin would soon decide to follow suit.

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Leaders from European countries including Poland, Britain, Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Slovakia have already visited Kiev to hold talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky, as has European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

During his day-long visit to Warsaw, Steinmeier thanked Poland for accepting almost 2.7 million people fleeing the war over its southern border.

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The German president was accompanied by his wife, Elke Büdenbender. Their original visit, planned for the end of last month, was postponed after Büdenbender became infected with the coronavirus.

Source: anews

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.