Chancellor Olaf Scholz still wants to rely on Russian oil. This annoys Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
+++ 7.30 p.m: The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj has again sharply criticized Germany for continuing to buy Russian oil. Germany and Hungary had blocked an embargo, Selenskyj told the BBC in an interview excerpt broadcast on Thursday. “We don’t understand how money can be made from blood. Unfortunately, that’s what some countries are doing.” Zelenskyy said seven weeks after the start of Russia’s war of aggression, it was now necessary to talk to these countries in order to change their attitude.
“Some of our friends and partners understand that now is a different time, that it is no longer about business and money. That it’s a matter of survival,” stressed the head of state. He commended the US, Britain and some other European countries for arms sales. “But we still need them sooner, sooner and faster. The keyword is “now.”
+++ 6.10 p.m.: After the cancellation of a visit by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to Kyiv, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba continues to rely on cooperation with Germany. “We are not interested in tightening bilateral relations,” Kuleba said in Kyiv on Thursday (April 14, 2022), according to the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.
Nevertheless, Kyiv expects a new German Ukraine policy. “And we expect this new German policy from the new German government,” said the 40-year-old. Ukraine does not agree with everything in German politics.
Steinmeier’s invitation: the Ukrainian government probably actively canceled the visit
+++ 3 p.m.: The government of Ukraine has apparently actively canceled a possible visit by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeiner. This is suggested by a report by the editorial network Germany. The RND refers to an “informal message” from the Ukrainian government to the German embassy in Kyiv. According to the report, it said that a visit to Germany would be better if it did not take place together with the Polish and Baltic delegations. Among other things, security concerns were expressed.
The Ukrainian President Zelenskyj had previously stressed that he had not received an “official request” for a visit from Steinmeier. Two of his advisors also contradicted each other in statements (see update from April 13, 2022, 4 p.m.).
+++ 10.30 a.m.: According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, there have been no inquiries about a possible visit by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to Ukraine. “I, as President, and our office have not received any official inquiries from the Federal President and the Office of the Federal President regarding a visit to Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said at a press event in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on Wednesday, according to the Ukrainian agency Unian.
Update from Thursday, April 14th, 2022, 8:05 a.m.: Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck has criticized Ukraine’s cancellation of a visit by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. “The Federal President is Germany. And that’s why his invitation by President Selenskyi is an invitation from Germany, ”said the Green politician to the newspapers of the Funke media group (Thursday). “Unfortunately, I have to say it this way: the Ukrainian side made a diplomatic mistake.”
“Slightly irritating”: Scholz criticizes Steinmeier’s unloading – Selenskyj’s advisor causes confusion
+++ 4 p.m.: Serhiy Leschtschenko, chief of staff of the Ukrainian government under President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has denied on US television that an offer to visit by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier had been turned down. He told CNN. This contradicts a statement by Presidential Advisor Olexeij Arestovych on ARD (see update from 9:30 a.m.). He apologized for the cancellation.
+++ 3.30 p.m.: Chancellor Olaf Scholz has criticized the fact that President Frank-Walter Steinmeier was uninvited by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The action was “somewhat irritating”. He told rbb Inforadio: “The Federal President would have liked to go to Ukraine.” “That’s why it would have been good to receive him,” Scholz continued. The Chancellor left open whether he would accept the invitation to Kyiv.
+++ 9.30 a.m.: Ukrainian Presidential Advisor Olexey Arestovych has asked for understanding for his government’s cancellation of a visit to Kyiv by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. He does not know the reasons, but the policy and the decisions of President Volodymyr Zelenskyj are very balanced, said Arestovych on Wednesday in the ARD “Morgenmagazin”, according to the translation. “Our President is expecting the Chancellor so that he can make practical decisions immediately, including the delivery of weapons.”
Selenskyj invites Scholz instead of Steinmeier – Klitschko wants the President to travel later
+++ 08.45 a.m.: Former world boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko is betting on the Federal President’s visit to the country at a later date after Ukraine rejected a visit by Frank-Walter Steinmeier. “I hope that the Federal President’s visit to Kyiv has only been postponed and can be made up for in the coming weeks,” said the brother of Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko on Tuesday evening of the Bild newspaper. “I think it is urgently necessary that we, as Ukraine, continue to build bridges to Germany,” he emphasized. “Germany is the number one partner in providing financial assistance to Ukraine, providing humanitarian assistance, helping refugees massively and sending more and more weapons, even though we need more of them,” Klitschko added.
Ukraine war: FDP leader Kubicki sharply criticizes Selenskyj
Update from Wednesday, April 13, 2022, 7:00 a.m.: After the Ukrainian leadership’s affront to Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Deputy FDP Chairman Wolfgang Kubicki initially ruled out Chancellor Olaf Scholz traveling to Kyiv. “I cannot imagine that the chancellor of a government supported by the FDP travels to a country that declares our country’s head of state an undesirable person,” said Kubicki of the German Press Agency in Berlin.
War in Ukraine: Steinmeier unwanted – Selenskyj invites Chancellor Scholz instead
+++ 9 p.m.: After the refusal of a visit by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Ukraine invited Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) to Kyiv. “We also communicated this in such a way that my President and the government would be very happy if Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Kyiv,” said the Ukrainian ambassador in Berlin, Andrij Melnyk, on Tuesday evening (April 12, 2022) on ProSieben and SAT .1. The visit should be about how Germany can help Ukraine with heavy weapons in the fight against Russia. “My President is looking forward to that,” said Melnyk.
Steinmeier unwanted: Selenskyj has no interest in the visit of the Federal President
First report, Tuesday, April 12, 2022, 6:50 p.m.: Warsaw – Diplomatic affront to the Federal President: a visit by the German head of state Frank-Walter Steinmeier to Ukraine has been rejected by the leadership in Kyiv. A joint visit with his Polish colleague Andrzej Duda and the heads of state of the Baltic states is apparently “not desired” in Kyiv, said the Federal President on Tuesday (April 12, 2022) during a visit to Warsaw. His meeting with Duda was marked by the Ukraine wars: Steinmeier condemned the Russian “barbarism” in the Ukraine and paid tribute to Poland’s efforts in taking in refugees.
Duda suggested that the Presidents of Poland, Germany, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania jointly Kyiv travel, said Steinmeier in Warsaw. “I was willing to do that, but apparently – and I have to acknowledge that – that was not wanted in Kyiv,” said the Federal President. It was Duda’s idea to use the trip to “send and set a strong sign of common European solidarity with Ukraine”.
Ukraine war: Members of the Bundestag are allowed to come
First, the image had reported that the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj refused a visit by the Federal President to Kyiv. However, the Kiev leadership gave the green light for the visit of several members of the Bundestag: The FDP– Defense politician Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, the SPD-Foreign politician Michael Roth and the Greens chairman of the European Committee, Anton Hofreiter, set out on a trip to Ukraine, where they planned to meet with representatives of the Ukrainian parliament in the west of the country.
In his previous posts, Steinmeier had pursued a pro-Russian policy, including the controversial gas pipeline project, which was particularly harshly criticized by Ukraine Nord Stream 2 supports. A week ago he then admitted mistakes in his policy, drew a “bitter balance sheet” and declared that he was wrong about Russian President Vladimir Putin.
War in Ukraine: Sharp criticism of Steinmeier
The Ukrainian ambassador in Berlin, Andriy Melnyk, had previously criticized the Federal President in harsh terms and accused him of “having been creating a spider’s web of contacts with Russia to have tied”. He was referring primarily to Steinmeier’s earlier activities as Federal Foreign Minister and Chancellor’s Office Minister.
With regard to the many Ukrainian refugees in Poland, Steinmeier acknowledged the country’s great willingness to accept them in Warsaw. Poland is the main arrival country for Ukrainian refugees, more than 2.6 million people seeking protection have already arrived there.
The Federal President also condemned the war of aggression “that Russia has started against Ukraine and which has been causing destruction, victims, displacement and much human suffering for the past six weeks”. The Polish government recently sharply criticized Germany’s position in the debate on further sanctions Moscow practiced and demanded more German arms deliveries to Ukraine.
Steinmeier: No return to normality under Putin
“There is no question that we in Germany, together with our neighbors, must do everything we can to increase the economic pressure on Russia,” said Steinmeier in Warsaw. Germany is trying to reduce energy supplies from Russia “as soon as possible”. With regard to the German economic structure, however, things are “not going quite as quickly as some would like at the moment,” he admitted.
“In my opinion, one thing is clear: there can be no return to normality with Russia under Putin,” Steinmeier said, referring to the Kremlin boss. “Russia’s war crimes in Ukraine have become visible to the world.” These crimes must be cleared up and the perpetrators and those responsible must be held accountable. (skr/ktho with AFP/dpa)