‘Apparently unwanted’: Steinmeier’s visit to Kyiv failed

A planned trip for German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to Kyiv failed because he was clearly not welcome there. “And I was ready for it. But it was clearly – and I must admit – that was not required in Kyiv,” Steinmeier said today during his visit to Warsaw.

In the past few days, Polish President Andrzej Duda suggested traveling to the Ukrainian capital with the heads of the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, “to send and mark a strong European solidarity with Ukraine.” This is no longer the case.

“Bitter Record”

First, the newspaper “Bild” reported that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky refused Steinmeier’s visit to Kyiv. In his previous offices, Steinmeier pursued pro-Russian policies and also supported the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project. A week ago, he then admitted mistakes in his Russia policy for the first time, drew up a “bitter budget” and declared himself wrong about Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Ukrainian ambassador in Berlin, Andrei Melnik, had earlier sharply criticized Steinmeier and accused him of “establishing a spiderweb of contacts with Russia for decades”. He was referring primarily to Steinmeier’s previous activities as foreign minister and German chancellor.