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Andriy Melnyk in Berlin (picture from September): His successor will arrive next Monday
Photo: JENS SCHLUETER / AFP
Andriy Melnyk was the Ukrainian ambassador in Germany for almost eight years – now he has returned to Ukraine.
On Saturday morning he left Berlin by car and crossed the border into Ukraine in the evening.
"Home Sweet Home," he wrote on Twitter from the border crossing.
“Our fight goes on.
Ukraine will win.
Dear German friends, thank you for everything.
And goodbye."
His successor Oleksii Makeiev is expected in Berlin on Monday.
The change at the head of the embassy will only formally take place with the accreditation from Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, for which there is no official date yet.
The 47-year-old Melnyk became ambassador to Germany in January 2015 and has made a name for himself with an unusually tough stance against the German government for a diplomat.
In the first months of the war, Melnyk became one of the most frequent guests on German talk shows.
Hardly a day went by when he didn't call for battle tanks and anti-aircraft guns and accused the government of hesitation and procrastination.
In his penultimate week as Ukrainian ambassador, Melnyk and his wife told SPIEGEL what drives them.
Read more about this here .
"I think I've managed to interest the Germans in the topic of Ukraine, to ensure that Ukraine is really recognized and understood here," Melnyk told dpa before he left.
"When I come home now, I'm proud that many weapon systems were delivered from Germany, which are helping us to liberate the occupied territories and our compatriots step by step." But Melnyk also emphasized that more had to be delivered , "to expel the Russians".
Melnyk's family initially stayed in Germany.
His 11-year-old daughter goes to school in Berlin, his 20-year-old son is studying in Germany.
Melnyk himself is now being traded as a possible deputy foreign minister.
He has held this position before.
However, the government has not yet made a final decision on this.
"That's why I'm excited myself about what's in store for me.
I will probably see President Zelenskyy on Tuesday.
And then hopefully he will tell me personally where he sees me in his big team," Melnyk told dpa.
As an ex-ambassador, he also wants to get involved in German politics from time to time with requests to speak: "I can't promise that I'll keep my mouth shut," he said before he left.
ani/dpa