Ambassador Melnyk: Scholz plays "offended liver sausage"

Created: 05/03/2022Updated: 05/03/2022 03:15

Andriy Melnyk is the Ambassador of Ukraine in Germany.

© Kay Nietfeld/dpa

Because Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier was discharged from Kyiv, Chancellor Olaf Scholz does not want to travel to Ukraine either.

Ambassador Andriy Melnyk finds clear words on this.

Berlin - The Ukrainian Ambassador Andriy Melnyk has sharply criticized Chancellor Olaf Scholz's preliminary no to a trip to Kyiv.

"Playing an offended liverwurst doesn't sound very statesmanlike," Melnyk told the German Press Agency.

"It's about the most brutal war of annihilation since the Nazi attack on Ukraine, it's not a kindergarten."

Scholz had said on ZDF on Monday evening that Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier's unloading through Ukraine would stand in the way of his trip.

Steinmeier actually wanted to go to Kyiv with the heads of state of Poland, Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania in mid-April, but was rejected at short notice.

Scholz said on ZDF: "It cannot work that a country that provides so much military aid, so much financial aid that is needed when it comes to the security guarantees that are needed for Ukraine in the future important that you then say, but the President cannot come.”

more on the subject

Ambassador regrets Steinmeier's cancellation of the Federal Press Ball

Reports: Merz wants to travel to Kyiv on Monday

Ex-Foreign Minister Gabriel rejects criticism of Steinmeier

Melnyk said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would still be happy to receive Scholz in Kyiv.

However, he added: "What Ukraine would look forward to much more than any symbolic visits is that the traffic light government will swiftly implement the Bundestag's proposal for the delivery of heavy weapons and fulfill the previous commitments." that no ammunition had yet been found for the promised Gepard anti-aircraft tanks.

The tanks are the first heavy weapons to be delivered directly from Germany to Ukraine.

dpa