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Olaf Scholz
Photo: Kay Nietfeld / dpa
With Olaf Scholz, a German Chancellor is officially represented on Twitter for the first time.
Around two months after the SPD politician was sworn in, the @bundeskanzler am Sonntag account was launched.
After congratulating the re-elected Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the message was: "Hello, Twitter!"
Hours later, Scholz thanked the people who were already following him on the short message service.
»I became Federal Chancellor with the aim of explaining my politics – from now on this should also be done on this channel.
At least to the extent that the 280 characters allow it.
I'm happy!« By Sunday evening around 9 p.m. the new account had more than 24,000 followers.
Scholz wants to keep his personal account @OlafScholz.
"From now on, this account is about the @spdde and my constituency," he wrote there.
As of Sunday evening, more than 382,000 people are following him there.
Scholz's predecessor, Angela Merkel, had frequently had messages circulated via her government spokesman at the time, Steffen Seibert, but she was not officially represented there.
"Very, very serious threat to peace in Europe"
For Scholz, the trip to Ukraine on Monday, where he wants to mediate in the military conflict with Russia, is likely to be far more politically important than making his account live on Twitter.
On Monday afternoon he will meet President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the capital Kiev.
Both want to take stock of the status of the diplomatic efforts to defuse the Ukraine crisis.
Scholz is then expected in Moscow on Tuesday to speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Scholz had warned of a "very, very serious threat to peace in Europe" in view of the massive Russian troop deployment on the borders of Ukraine on Sunday.
According to its own statements, the federal government is currently examining a request from Ukraine for the delivery of military equipment.
A commitment is not expected on Monday.
On the other hand, according to information from government circles, Scholz could announce further economic aid to make the country more resistant to Russian attempts at destabilization.
dop/dpa
