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Anton Hofreiter (archive photo): »The trip showed impressively how much Russia’s criminal attack on Ukraine affects people’s lives in all areas«
Photo:
Mika Schmidt / EPA-EFE
It was the first visit by high-ranking German members of the Bundestag to Ukraine since the Russian attack: Late on Tuesday evening, the chairmen of the committees on defense (Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, FDP), foreign affairs (Michael Roth, SPD) and Europe (Anton Hofreiter , Greens) returned across the border to Poland.
They left Warsaw that morning, and the MPs are now on their way back there.
For security reasons, the trip was kept secret until the very end, and the destination of Lviv (Lemberg) in western Ukraine was not mentioned until the trio arrived on the afternoon of work.
According to participants, the three German MPs met several high-ranking representatives of the Ukrainian parliament for political talks.
They also visited a hospital with wounded and a refinery destroyed by Russia.
It was about arms deliveries and energy imports
"The trip showed impressively how much Russia's criminal attack on Ukraine affects people's lives in all areas - even if life in western Ukraine seems relatively normal at first glance," Green Party politician Hofreiter told SPIEGEL.
»The conversations with the wounded soldiers were particularly touching.«
According to reports, discussions with the Ukrainian MPs primarily focused on the issue of arms deliveries and German energy imports from Russia.
"The desire for heavy weapons was communicated to us very clearly - and also for a complete energy embargo," says Hofreiter.
"I am at least for an immediate halt to oil imports from Russia," he said.
Criticism of Steinmeier's discharge
In a joint statement made available to the dpa news agency, the three members of the Bundestag spoke out in favor of further arms deliveries, the fastest possible ban on imports of Russian oil and clear EU prospects for Ukraine.
“There should be a broad majority for this in the Bundestag.
Germany must take on even more responsibility,” the document said.
However, the three politicians criticized the disinvitation of Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who had planned a visit to Kyiv.
This step is incomprehensible.
"Right now it's important to keep in touch," said the dpa in the statement.
On Tuesday, the Ukrainian government rejected a joint visit by Steinmeier and the presidents of Poland and the three Baltic states of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia.
However, she invited Chancellor Olaf Scholz to Kyiv.
The committee chairmen followed an invitation from Ukrainian MP Halyna Yanchenko, who is Deputy Head of the Kiev Parliament for foreign relations.
flo/dpa