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War in Ukraine: Chancellor Olaf Scholz plans a trip to Kyiv

2022-06-11T21:31:51.725Z


For a long time, Olaf Scholz refused to travel to Ukraine. Now the Federal Chancellor will make his way to Kyiv after all – accompanied by a prominent figure.


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Chancellor Scholz during his visit to Sofia

Photo: Michael Kappeler / dpa

Chancellor Olaf Scholz is planning a trip to Kyiv before the G7 summit at the end of June.

In Ukrainian government circles it was confirmed on Saturday evening that there were plans for the Chancellor to travel with French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi.

First, the "Bild am Sonntag" reported on the planned three-way trip to the Ukrainian capital, which is scheduled to take place in June.

According to this, Paris and Berlin are said to have been talking about a joint trip to Kyiv by Scholz and Macron for a long time.

According to information from the newspaper, Macron only wanted to drive after the French parliamentary elections.

Taking the Italian head of government as the third party in the group is said to have been an idea from France.

Scholz, Macron and Draghi wanted to set a sign of European unity with their trip.

A spokesman for the federal government did not want to confirm or deny the travel plans.

There is no new status on the question, it was only said.

The Elysée Palace also explicitly rejected confirmation.

Ukraine hopes the EU will declare it a candidate country at its summit on June 23-24, just ahead of the June 26-28 G7 summit.

The EU Commission intends to make its recommendation on this next week.

That's why Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen (CDU) traveled to Kyiv at the weekend for the second time since the beginning of the war.

There she met the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Macron wants to open up a European perspective for Ukraine

From the Élysée Palace it was said on Friday that Macron was available for a visit to Ukraine, but there were no concrete travel plans and dates yet.

Such a trip could take place before, but also after the EU summit.

There was no talk of a joint visit with Scholz or Draghi.

The purpose of a trip by Macron will be to open or initiate a European perspective for Ukraine, it said.

Selenskyj invited Scholz to Kyiv weeks ago.

At first, however, there was resentment because of the short-term cancellation of a trip by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier from the Ukrainian side.

After the irritations had been cleared up, Scholz pointed out that such a trip is not about symbols, but about content: “I will not join a group of people who do something for a short in and out with a photo shoot .

But if, then it's always about very concrete things.«

A number of his ministers have since been to Ukraine: Annalena Baerbock, Svenja Schulze and most recently Karl Lauterbach and Cem Özdemir.

Parliament Speaker Bärbel Bas and opposition leader Friedrich Merz also visited Kyiv.

Trips by top politicians to conflict or even war zones are usually not announced for security reasons.

But there are also exceptions: Scholz announced the Baerbock trip in advance without giving an exact date.

Von der Leyen also announced her first trip to Kyiv without giving any details.

ama/mgb/ani/dpa

Source: spiegel

All news articles on 2022-06-11

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