When visiting Irpin: Scholz carefully puts his hand on the car wreck and remains silent when asked by journalists

Created: 06/16/2022, 12:27 p.m

By: Patrick Mayer

Olaf Scholz arrived in Kyiv in the middle of the Ukraine war.

After the air raid, a visit to the ruins of Irpin follows with Draghi and Macron.

The news ticker.

• Olaf Scholz

  (SPD) in

  Ukraine

  : The Chancellor visits the Kiev suburb of Irpin.

• The German head of government is on site - there was an air alert in Kyiv for a short time.

• The Chancellor

  's trip to

  Kiev

  : Scholz travels together with Emmanuel Macron and Mario Draghi.

• This

  news ticker on the Chancellor's talks in Kiev with Zelenskyy

  is continuously updated.

Update from June 16, 12:12 p.m

.: Olaf Scholz was concerned in the ruins of Irpin.

An AFP reporter described the scene as follows: In silence, with a closed face, the chancellor listened to a Ukrainian official pointing to a wrecked car and explaining that a mother and her children had been killed inside.

Scholz put his hand on the fender of the wrecked car for a while and kept his eyes down.

When asked by journalists how he felt about it, he did not answer.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) on a badly damaged car in Irpin © Kay Nietfeld/dpa

Scholz' trip to Ukraine: Chancellor visits Irpin with Macron, Draghi and Iohannis

Update from June 16, 11:27 a.m

.: The first station of Scholz, Macron and Draghi in Ukraine: the Kiev suburb of Irpin.

Romania's President Iohannis, who had traveled separately, also accompanied them.

Hundreds of civilians were killed in Irpin and other places in the region, such as Bucha.

International investigations are currently underway to identify those responsible for these war crimes.

The visit of the heads of state and government of the three most populous EU countries had been long awaited.

From left: Macron, Scholz and Draghi in the Kiev suburb of Irpin © Ludovic Marin/AFP

Scholz in the Ukraine: Chancellor visits the neighboring town of Butscha with Irpin

Update from June 16, 10:41 a.m

.: It wasn’t just the atrocities in Bucha.

Other Ukrainian locations were also affected.

Chancellor Scholz has now visited the partially destroyed Kiev suburb of Irpin.

Almost 300 civilians, some of whom were executed, were found there after the Russian troops withdrew at the end of March.

Scholz trip to Ukraine: air alert in Kyiv lifted

Update from June 16, 10:33 a.m

.: The air alarm in Kiev was lifted after about half an hour.

This was confirmed by a reporter from the dpa news agency on site. 

Scholz meets Selenskyj with Macron and Draghi in Kyiv - Romania's President is also there

Update from June 16, 10:19

a.m .: Selenskyj will probably receive five leaders in Kiev: Romania's President Klaus Iohannis also arrived in the city during the Ukraine war, he said on Twitter.

Together with Scholz, Macron and Draghi he wants to meet the Ukrainian President.

In view of the Russian attack, he wanted to express his solidarity with Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people.

"This illegal Russian aggression must end," Iohannis tweeted. 

Macron with Scholz and Draghi in the middle of the Ukraine war in Kyiv: "Message of European unity and support"

Update from June 16, 10:05 a.m

.: Chancellor Scholz with his counterparts Macron and Draghi in Kiev: French President said upon his arrival that it was about a “message of European unity, addressed to the Ukrainians, as well as support, at the same time to talk about the present and the future because we know that the next few weeks will be difficult".

Chancellor Scholz in Kyiv: Apparently an air alarm in the Ukrainian capital

Update from June 16, 9.47 a.m

.: Scholz trip to Kiev: Shortly after the Chancellor's arrival, an air alarm was apparently triggered in the Ukrainian capital.

Scholz visit to Kyiv: Mayor Vitali Klitschko "happy and proud"

Update from June 16, 9:21 a.m

.: "As mayor, I am happy and proud that the German Chancellor is visiting our city together with the French President and the Italian Prime Minister": With these words, Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko Scholz' trip in conversation with who

comments on the

"This is a sign of great support at a time when visiting Kyiv is still a risk because missiles can still fall at any time," he added.

According to Klitschko, the visit “is of great symbolic importance and shows support for Ukraine in times of war”.

There can only be stability in Europe "when Putin finally ends this cruel war against our country".

Chancellor Scholz in Kyiv: want to demonstrate solidarity with Ukraine

Update from June 16, 9:03 a.m .:

Olaf Scholz (SPD) has assured Ukraine of further full support in its fight against Russia's attack.

"It is important when the heads of government of the three big countries, who were involved in the founding of the European Economic Community, go to Kyiv and show their support for Ukraine and the citizens of Ukraine in this very special situation of war." , said the Federal Chancellor on his journey to Kyiv on a special train.

Scholz, who is accompanied by French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, has already arrived in the Ukrainian capital.

"But we don't just want to demonstrate solidarity, we also want to assure that the help we organize, financial, humanitarian, but also when it comes to weapons, will be continued," added Scholz.

Support will continue for as long as is necessary for Ukraine's struggle for independence.

At the same time, it will be made clear once again that the sanctions imposed on Russia are of great importance.

“Because they contribute to the chance that Russia will give up its plan and withdraw its troops again.

Because that's the goal," emphasized Scholz.

From left: Mario Draghi, Olaf Scholz and Emmanuel Macron before the train journey to Kyiv.

© Filippo Attili/Imago

Olaf Scholz (SPD) in Kyiv: Visitors have arrived in the Ukrainian capital

Update from June 16, 8:35 a.m .:

Olaf Scholz, Emmanuel Macron and Mario Draghi arrived in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev on Thursday morning with a special train.

This is reported by the German Press Agency.

There they want to talk to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about further support for the country attacked by Russia and about Ukraine's desire to join the European Union.

Olaf Scholz (SPD) in Kyiv: Three leaders are sitting on the train

Update from June 16, 7:53 a.m .:

Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi are on board a special train on the way to Kiev.

The Elysée Palace confirmed the start of the journey.

The heads of state and government had boarded the train in Poland and were expected in Kiev, Ukraine on Thursday morning, the Italian daily

reported.

According to ZDF, the heads of state and government left Rzeszow in Poland that night.

Olaf Scholz (SPD) in Kyiv: Is a deal between Ukraine and Russia expected?

Update from June 15, 9:15 p.m .:

Before the meeting of the three Western European heads of state and government from Germany, France and Italy with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj there is a lot of explosiveness.

French President Emmanuel Macron said during a visit to a NATO base in Romania: "The Ukrainian President and his officials will have to negotiate with Russia." Most recently, Kyiv rejected peace talks with Moscow.

Instead, Selenskyj confirmed in several interviews and video speeches that Ukraine wanted to recapture its entire territory.

Including Crimea, which was lost in 2014.

According to ZDF's "heute journal", Ukraine suspects that Macron, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi are dealing with a "basic deal".

The three largest EU member states want to persuade Kyiv to return to the negotiating table.

According to ZDF, Ukraine would only be willing to do so if there were "clear prospects for EU membership" and security policy guarantees with a view to Russia.

In this mixed situation, it is eagerly awaited what Chancellor says about a possible accession of the war-torn country to the European Union.

Olaf Scholz (SPD) in Ukraine: The German head of government will be there on Thursday

First report from June 15:

Munich/Kiev – The mayor of the Ukrainian capital has already invited Olaf Scholz (SPD): Vitali Klitschko would like to show the Chancellor Kiev.

The former professional boxer explained this in an interview with ZDF shortly before Scholz's visit to his home country, which was hit by the Russia-Ukraine war.

“I enjoy showing and presenting my city.

How beautiful the city is.

That it is a real European city.

I would be very happy if I got the opportunity to present the city to the Federal Chancellor," said the former boxing champion of the "heute journal".

Klitschko is very well known in Germany, part of his family lives in Hamburg.

The former boxing champion has been the mayor of the Ukrainian metropolis with around 2.8 million inhabitants since 2014.

The Chancellor's trip to Kyiv: Olaf Scholz travels together with Emmanuel Macron and Mario Draghi

Scholz will not come alone, the Hanseatic is expected to arrive together with French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi.

Previously, a close adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj increased the pressure on Scholz.

"You can't fight with promises, they don't help on the battlefield.

We address our partners with a simple philosophy: The world as it was before the war will never exist again.

She will be different.

And we cannot afford to lose the war and make territorial concessions," Mikhail Podoljak explained in an interview with the news magazine

: "We cannot afford to lose 100, 150 or 200 soldiers a day.

This is a depressing picture and that is why we look to our partners with hope.”

Politician and journalist Podoljak, meanwhile, thinks "little" of attempts to influence Moscow ruler Vladimir Putin through talks.

Both Scholz and Macron had repeatedly called the Kremlin boss in the past few months and tried to appease Putin.

The Chancellor's trip to Kyiv: Scholz and Macron want to talk to Selenskyj about Putin

"I'm not the type of person to give advice to Macron and Scholz, but these attempts are so ineffective that many people have had doubts.

Russia is now showing maximum aggressive behavior again," he told

, adding: "They threaten everyone: don't interfere, that's our business, we have the right to kill and conquer territories."

There's no point in talking."

Whether such plain text is also spoken between Scholz and Selenskyj?

Follow the most important developments regarding the Chancellor's trip to Kyiv here in the news ticker.