Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier spoke by telephone today with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in order to "discuss and overcome the issue of the cancelled visit" of the German president to Kiev.
According to Der Spiegel magazine and as reported by APE-MPA, during the 45-minute conversation Steinmeier assured Zelenski of Germany's full support. The fact that the two presidents spoke directly "is seen as a sign of mutual efforts to overcome recent tensions and return to a somewhat normal atmosphere," the magazine said.
He had been declared unwelcome
Mr. Steinmeier had been declared unwelcome by Kiev in April because of his past stance on Russia, which caused tension in relations between the two countries and prevented Chancellor Olaf Scholz from a possible visit to Ukraine. On this occasion, Ukraine's ambassador to Berlin, Andriy Melnik, even described the chancellor a few days ago as an "insulted sausage", as he said he was "playing the offended party in a manner unbecoming of a political leader".
"Past tensions have been cleared up," a presidency spokesman said, adding that Zelenski had invited both Mr Steinmeier and the entire German political leadership to Kiev. However, it is unclear if and when Olaf Scholz will respond to this invitation. Some reports, according to Spiegel, link French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to Berlin on Monday to a possible joint visit to Ukraine.
Zelensky's post after the conversation
Πηγή: in.gr
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