Scholz says no to Ukraine trip as opposition leader returns from Kiev
GERMAN Chancellor Olaf Scholz continues to oppose a visit to war-torn Ukraine, saying on Wednesday that a snub by the leadership in Kiev against President Frank-Walter Steinmeier prevented him from going.
“It is a problem that the president of the federal republic of Germany was disinvited,” Scholz said after the second day of Cabinet consultations in Meseberg near Berlin.
Steinmeier had planned to go to Kiev with the heads of state of Poland, Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania in mid-April, but was uninvited at short notice.
Kiev’s decision came following sustained criticism of Steinmeier’s ties with Russia and his failure during his time as foreign minister to heed warnings from Germany’s Eastern European neighbours about the threat of Russian aggression.
Scholz has also faced criticism regarding weeks of hesitation about the delivery of heavy weaponry to Ukraine. His refusal to implement an embargo on
Russian energy imports has also come under fire.
Scholz hinted that the Ukrainian leadership should make a concession towards Steinmeier, saying “Ukraine must make its contribution in talks with the federal president.”
During a trip to Bucharest on Wednesday, Steinmeier reiterated his country’s support for Ukraine, and said he wanted to express this “in exchanges with my Ukrainian counterpart, if that is possible.”
Germany’s conservative opposition leader Friedrich Merz returned from Kiev on Wednesday, where he conducted talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky and Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko.
Merz made a splash with his visit to the war-torn country on Tuesday, timing it to take place amid heated discussions about Scholz’s decision not to go.
In an interview with public broadcaster ZDF late on Tuesday, Merz said he had witnessed first-hand the “completely senseless destruction” of Ukraine by Russian forces and urged Scholz to conduct a similar trip.