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Andriy Melnyk in the SPIEGEL top discussion
Photo: DER SPIEGEL
Since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression, the statements made by the Ukrainian ambassador Andriy Melnyk have repeatedly upset the German public and diplomacy.
His "liver sausage" statement about Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) caused diplomatic upsets between Kyiv and Berlin in May.
Now Melnyk wants to personally apologize to the SPD politician.
"That's a statement that I later regret, of course," said Melnyk in SPIEGEL's top-level discussion with moderator Markus Feldenkirchen.
"I'll apologize to him personally," he added.
The statement was "diplomatically inappropriate" and "offended many people, not only in Germany".
After much hesitation, Scholz visited Ukraine in mid-June.
At the beginning of May, however, he had decided not to travel to Kyiv for the time being.
Federal President Steinmeier had previously been disinvited by the Ukrainian government shortly before his planned visit to Kyiv.
Melnyk then said that the SPD chancellor was playing "an offended liverwurst."
"My president was
not amused
"
Melnyk's statement apparently also caused displeasure within the Ukrainian government: "My president was
not amused
," said Melnyk about Volodymyr Zelensky's reaction.
He had to explain his statement to the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
The Ambassador added that he has not discussed this with the Chancellor yet but hopes to have that opportunity.
Melnyk also stated that he loves Germany.
He could imagine staying permanently in Germany even after his term as ambassador: "I would not have come to Germany, even as a diplomat, if I had not loved the language, had not enjoyed the culture and had not respected the people." , he said.
Regarding the negative reactions of parts of the German public to his statements since the beginning of the war, Melnyk said: "With everything that we have to hear from many Germans today in these days of war: I still love Germany as a country."
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