»Serious faux pas«: Von der Leyen has the chief of staff respond to an invitation from the Ukraine

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EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in a video call with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj

Photo: Hennadii Minchenko / Barcroft Media / Getty Images

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's team has reportedly made a diplomatic misstep in dealing with Ukraine.

Diplomats from EU countries who did not want to be named criticized on Thursday that cabinet chief Björn Seibert signed an answer to an invitation from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj.

When a head of state sends a personal invitation to the Commission President, it is tactless if she does not answer it personally, it said.

That is a "serious faux pas".

The EU Commission is trying to limit the damage.

"Of course the letter should have been signed by her (von der Leyen, the editor)," said the commission spokesman Eric Mamer according to the news portal "Politico".

Accordingly, the letter was not yet the official version and did not reach the Ukrainian side "via the usual channels".

According to Mamer, von der Leyen would still answer personally.

Breakdown due to location in eastern Ukraine is particularly spicy

The event attracted particular attention because Zelenskyj's letter of invitation referred to the celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Ukraine's independence and Seibert canceled von der Leyen's participation because of a "particularly busy schedule" during the period in question.

Critics read this as a possible sign that the German wanted to keep the EU Commission out of the recently escalating conflict between Ukraine and Russia as much as possible.

The celebrations in Kiev are scheduled to take place on August 24th, when it is usually quiet in Brussels because of the summer break.

According to Politico, spokesman Mamer left open whether von der Leyen would take part in the ceremony after the breakdown.

It will ensure that the EU is represented at the event at the appropriate level, said Mamer.

The spokesman for the EU Commission said on Thursday that von der Leyen would answer the Ukrainian President personally and that the EU Commission would be "appropriately" represented at the celebrations.

He also stressed that, according to his information, the letter from Head of Cabinet Seibert did not go through the "usual channels" to Ukraine.

The German Björn Seibert takes care of strategic and inter-institutional issues for von der Leyen.

He previously worked for the CDU politician in the Federal Ministry of Defense in Berlin.

»Sofagate« continues to cause trouble

The diplomatic mishap of the EU leaders in Turkey is still being discussed in Brussels.

At the meeting of EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and Council President Charles Michel with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara there was excitement about the seating arrangement.

Erdoğan only offered Michel a chair next to him, von der Leyen had to sit on a sofa to the side and looked duped.

The CSU European politician Manfred Weber had criticized the actions of the EU leaders on Wednesday.

The incident is another warning sign that EU foreign policy is not prepared for the tough realities, said the group leader of the European People's Party on Tuesday after a meeting of the EU parliamentary leaders.

fek / dpa