The long-awaited visit has arrived: Olaf Scholz has arrived in Ukraine. Together with French President Macron, Italian Prime Minister Draghi and Romanian President Johannis, the Chancellor is visiting President Zelenskyy in Kyiv.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated several times.
The air alert was triggered twice when high-ranking visitors came from Germany, France, Italy and Romania. Even if there is no longer fighting in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, the threat level remains high, which also makes a trip like that of Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italy’s Prime Minister Mario Draghi and Romanian President Klaus Johannis unusual and bears witness to the difficulty of the mission.
As expected, Scholz and his European allies did not travel to the war-torn country empty-handed. The heads of government promised further support and discussed further measures at the meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Of course, the focus of the consultations was Ukraine’s desire to join the EU. Macron spoke out in favor of granting the country the status of an EU accession candidate. “In any case, we support Ukraine’s accession status to the European Union,” Macron said at a press conference in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on Thursday. Scholz also commented on the subject: “My colleagues and I came to Kyiv today with a clear message: Ukraine is part of the European family.” The Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Andriy Melnyk, again demanded that Scholz deliver heavy weapons quickly.
In the special train at night to Kyiv
Scholz, Macron and Draghi traveled together in a special train to Kyiv overnight, and Romanian President Johannis joined them in the capital. Shortly after their arrival in Kyiv, the first air alert was triggered, which was lifted again after a good 30 minutes.
After his arrival, Scholz visited the partially destroyed Kiev suburb of Irpin. Similar to neighboring Bucha, almost 300 civilians, some of whom were executed, were found there after the Russians retreated at the end of March.
In Irpin, Scholz condemned the “brutality” of the Russian war of aggression. Scholz spoke of senseless violence. A city was destroyed in which there were no military structures at all. “That says a lot about the brutality of the Russian war of aggression, which is simply out for destruction and conquest.”
Impressed by the destruction in Irpin, Romania’s President Iohannis again demanded that Russia’s atrocities be brought before an international criminal court.
mockery from Moscow
Italy’s Prime Minister Draghi believes Ukraine is capable of rebuilding after the Russian war of aggression. “This is a place of destruction, but also of hope,” Draghi said in Irpin.
In a first reaction from Moscow, Russia’s former President Dmitry Medvedev scoffed at the four top politicians’ trip to Kyiv. “European fans of frogs, liverwurst and spaghetti love to visit Kyiv,” Medvedev wrote on his Twitter account. “With zero benefit.”
Scholz had already promised Ukraine full support in the fight against Russia’s attack on the trip to Kyiv. The support will continue for as long “as is necessary for Ukraine’s struggle for independence,” he said.
Macron told BFMTV that it was about a “message of European unity addressed to Ukrainians and of support to talk about the present and the future at the same time because we know that the next few weeks will be difficult”.
Meanwhile, Gazprom is curbing gas supplies again
The Chancellor has always emphasized that he will only travel to Kyiv if there are specific things to discuss. Zelenskyj demands the delivery of more heavy weapons and that the EU agrees to Ukraine’s candidacy for membership at its summit in Brussels next week.
Immediately before the Chancellor’s trip to Ukraine, the Russian state-owned company Gazprom had reduced the gas supply volumes through the Nord Stream 1 Baltic Sea pipeline to Germany for the second time in a row on Wednesday. Gazprom again justified this step with delays in repair work.
Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Greens), on the other hand, suspects a political decision behind it. Gazprom had already announced a throttling on Tuesday.
Germany Ambassador Melnyk called Scholz’s visit to his home country an important signal. “The Ukrainians hope that the Chancellor will not come empty-handed, but will bring a solid package of military aid in his suitcase,” he told the German Press Agency. The point is that Germany should quickly deliver more heavy weapons, especially artillery pieces such as the Panzerhaubitze 2000 and the Mars II multiple rocket launcher.
This visit is the most important
The visit is also a good reason to “lift the blockade for Leopard 1 main battle tanks and Marder infantry fighting vehicles”. Melnyk went on to say: “For future EU membership, the Ukrainians want Chancellor Scholz to announce the granting of candidate status without artificial conditions.”
Numerous heads of state and government have traveled to Ukraine since mid-March. However, this visit is undoubtedly the most important: Scholz, Macron and Draghi represent the three most populous and economically strong EU countries. All three states belong to the G7, in which democratic economic powers have come together. Germany currently chairs this group, and France holds the EU presidency.
Selenskyj had invited Scholz to Kyiv weeks ago. At first, however, there was resentment because of the short-term cancellation of a trip by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier from the Ukrainian side. After the irritations had been cleared up, Scholz pointed out that such a trip was not about symbols, but about content: “I will not join a group of people who do something for a short in and out with a photo shoot . But if, then it’s always about very concrete things.”
A number of his ministers were in Ukraine before him: Annalena Baerbock (external, Greens), Svenja Schulze (development, SPD) and most recently Karl Lauterbach (health, SPD) and Cem Özdemir (agriculture, Greens). Parliament President Bärbel Bas (SPD) and opposition leader Friedrich Merz (CDU) also visited Kyiv.
Sources: “”, “”, news agencies DPA and AFP
Source: Stern
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