“Somewhat annoying,” he said Chancellor Olaf Solz Kiev’s decision to block Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier from visiting Ukraine as ‘undesirable’. However, he left open whether and when he will visit Kyiv himself.
Unlike Mr. Steinmeier, Mr. Soltz received an invitation yesterday from the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, to visit him and discuss the further assistance that Germany can offer. However, the Chancellor criticized the refusal of the Federal President to participate in the visit made today by the Presidents of Poland, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia, due to Mr. Steinmeier’s previous policy towards Russia, of the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
“I am in close contact with President Zelensky and I was in Kyiv shortly before the war broke out”Olaf Solz pointed out, in an interview he gave earlier today on the Berlin-Brandenburg Radio rbb24 info.
“The President would be happy to go to Ukraine. And it would be good to welcome him. It was a visit of unity and solidarity. “The four presidents finally traveled without Mr. Steinmeier.”said the Chancellor.
She expressed her regret that Mr Steinmeier had not been able to visit Kyiv and Foreign Minister Analena Berbock. “We discussed this trip and I thought it would be important,” she said, adding that “it is clear that we are fully on the side of Ukraine, we support Ukraine in its defense and we are in full solidarity.”
The leader of the Christian Democratic Party (CDU) Friedrich Mertz He spoke in support of the US Alliance, but said that maintaining some independence was not the answer. “Obviously the reservations about the SPD’s policy on Russia are very deep in many Eastern European countries. And I can understand that. “But not inviting the elected head of state of a democratic country is an insult,” Mertz told the Rheinische Post.
Regarding the Ukrainian request for the shipment of heavy weapons from Germany, the chancellor remained cautious. “We have a responsibility not to pursue the interests of the various lobbies, where one or the other wants to get rid of things that no one has bought in years. Particular attention should be paid to what is useful for Ukraine. “Germany wants to deliver the right and smart weapons, for which there are ammunition and spare parts and for which none of our soldiers need to travel to Ukraine.”Mr. Solz explained and stressed that he wants to prevent Germany and NATO member states from becoming a war zone in this conflict.
Follow Skai.gr on Google News
and be the first to know all the news
