Embassy accuses Melnyk of downplaying the Holocaust
Created: 07/02/2022 09:26
By: Caroline Schäfer
The Ukrainian ambassador is once again attracting criticism.
With his recent statements, Melnyk is supposed to belittle the Holocaust.
Kyiv – After controversial interview statements, the Israeli embassy in Germany has accused the Ukrainian ambassador, Andriy Melnyk, of playing down the Holocaust.
The ambassador is under pressure because of statements about the former Ukrainian nationalist leader Stepan Bandera (1909-1959).
The statements of the Ukrainian ambassador are a "distortion of historical facts, a trivialization of the Holocaust and an insult to those who were murdered by Bandera and his people," said the Israeli embassy in Berlin on Friday (July 1) on Twitter.
Surname | Andriy Melnyk |
|---|---|
Born | September 7, 1975 in Lviv |
Since 2015 | Ambassador of Ukraine in Germany |
Ambassador Melnyk criticized: Statements "undermine the struggle of the Ukrainian people"
Nationalist partisans from western Ukraine were responsible for ethnically motivated expulsions in 1943, during which tens of thousands of Polish civilians were murdered.
In an interview with the journalist Tilo Jung on June 29, Melnyk defended the nationalist leader Bandera.
"Bandera was not a mass murderer of Jews and Poles," the Ukrainian ambassador said.
There is no evidence for that.
Melnyk's comments "not only undermine the values we all cherish and believe in, but also undermine the courageous struggle of the Ukrainian people to live by democratic values and in peace," the Israeli embassy said on Twitter.
Poland criticizes Andrij Melnyk: "Absolutely unacceptable"
In addition to the Israeli embassy, the Polish government also criticized Melnyk's statements.
"Such an opinion and such words are absolutely unacceptable," said Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Przydacz of the Internet platform Wirtualna Polska, according to the
Spiegel
.
Poland is less interested in an apology from the Ukrainian ambassador.
Rather, it is now about "the position of the Ukrainian government than that of individuals."
also read
Putin "doesn't have a long life ahead of him": Ukraine intelligence chief with spicy claims
Putin's henchman Medvedev draws a red line for NATO - "that's forever"
Andriy Melnyk, Ambassador of Ukraine in Germany.
© Fabian Sommer/dpa
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has now positioned itself in this regard and distanced itself from Melnyk's statements.
Ukraine is grateful to Poland for "its unprecedented support in the fight against Russian aggression," the statement said on Thursday (June 30).
The Ukraine War in Pictures - Destruction, Resistance and Hope
View photo gallery
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry distances itself from Melnyk's statements
There are "no points of contention that separate us, because both Kyiv and Warsaw share a comprehensive understanding of the need to maintain unity in the face of common challenges." The opinion of the Ukrainian ambassador in Germany is "his own and does not reflect the position of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine,” the authority stressed.
For years, Melnyk has been provocative with his statements for the nationalist leader Bandera, he has repeatedly described him as a hero.
Shortly after taking office in 2015 as Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, he visited his grave and laid flowers there.
Even after the start of the Ukraine war, Melnyk repeatedly drew attention to himself with controversial hero worships.
(kas/dpa)
