Russia-Ukraine conflict: Ukraine flatly rejects the German President’s goodwill

President Steinmeier said on April 12 that he planned to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the leaders of Poland and the three Baltic states in Kiev.

The plan was “to go to Kiev to send a strong signal of common European solidarity towards Ukraine. I was ready to make this trip but it seems…this is not what Kiev wants” President Steinmeier confirmed during his visit to Warsaw, according to news agency Politico.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has been described as taking a soft line with Moscow before the Kremlin launched its military campaign against Ukraine. Photo: Reuters

Before that, newspaper Blid (Germany) also reported on Ukraine’s refusal to visit President Steinmeier. The newspaper quoted an unnamed Ukrainian diplomat as saying that “we all here know President Steinmeier’s close relationship with Russia” and that he is “not welcome in Kiev at the moment”. in”.

Last week, President Steinmeier admitted publicly for the first time publicly that he was “misunderstood” about his soft stance towards Moscow, especially in relation to the controversial gas pipeline project Line Northern flow 2 (NS 2).

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, a former NS2 supporter, canceled the project and announced a reshuffle of Berlin’s foreign policy. However, relations between Germany and Ukraine remain tense. Last month, President Zelensky urged German lawmakers to put principle on the German economy by isolating Russia completely.

Nord Stream 2 project strained German-Ukrainian relations. Photo: Reuters