"Unwanted" in Kiev is reportedly Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, at least according to what he revealed to journalists during his visit to Warsaw today. The reason is his policy towards Russia as foreign minister, which has been repeatedly criticized by the Ukrainian side. Steinmeier, the presidents of Germany, Poland, Estonia, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia were due to travel to Kiev next Thursday to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. "I would like to use this opportunity to send a strong message of Europe's solidarity with Ukraine. I was ready for this, but obviously I have to take into account this was not desired by Kiev," the German President said from Poland.
Recently, Ukraine's Ambassador to Germany, Andri Melnik, has been strongly critical of Mr. Steinmeier for his policy first as chief of staff of the chancellery under Gerhard Schröder and then as foreign minister.
"For Steinmeier, the relationship with Russia was and remains something fundamental, even sacred, no matter what happens. Not even war plays a role. He has created a cobweb of contacts with Russia for decades," Melnick recently told the Tagesspiegel, and also criticized the Federal President for the fact that he organized a solidarity concert for Ukraine, but only German and Russian soloists took part in it. "Steinmeier seems to share the idea that Ukrainians are not really a nation," the ambassador commented.
"We are all aware of Steinmeier's close relations with Russia, which were also shaped by the Steinmeier system. He is not welcome in Kiev. We will see if this will change," a Ukrainian diplomat told BILD, which reports that there was a clear statement from Kiev's side to the German presidency that at the moment the Ukrainian side is not ready for such a meeting, although this cannot be ruled out in the future."
Steinmeier has, however, recently admitted the errors of his earlier policy towards Russia. In an interview with Der Spiegel magazine, he said he regretted his longstanding commitment to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and called for Vladimir Putin to be brought before the International Criminal Court for war crimes.
Source: Proto Thema
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