Status: 04/10/2022 16:18
Chancellor Scholz again assured Ukrainian President Selenskyj by telephone of his solidarity and support. But that is no longer enough for many: requests for Scholz to travel to Kiev are rising.
The heads of the European Union were already there, and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer also visited Kiev yesterday. Chancellor Olaf Scholz has so far refrained from traveling to the Ukrainian capital.
Scholz spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky by phone this morning and condemned “the heinous war crimes committed by the Russian military in Bucha and elsewhere in Ukraine”. Deputy government spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann said she expressed “Germany’s solidarity and full support” for the people of Ukraine.
Discussions also about new sanctions
The federal government, together with its international partners, will do everything to ensure that “the crimes are ruthlessly cleared up and the perpetrators identified so that they can be held accountable before national and international courts”. Zelenskyj wrote on Twitter that he also spoke to Scholz about “anti-Russian sanctions, defense and financial support for Ukraine”.
According to Hoffmann, Scholz and Selenskyj called each other as part of their regular contacts. The chancellor informed himself “about the current situation and the negotiation process between Ukraine and Russia”. Scholz and Selenskyj agreed to “keep in close contact”.
The pressure on Scholz is growing
In Germany, however, requests for Scholz to travel to Kiev are getting louder. “I hope that our chancellor will follow this example and get an idea of what is happening there,” said Roderich Kiesewetter, a foreign policy expert at the CDU. Germany must “fulfill its very important hinge role in Europe” and lead the way in supporting Ukraine and overcoming the crisis. Scholz’s visit is also important to “get a sense of the perspective and situation in Ukraine and understand the brutality of Russia’s war crimes,” Kiesewetter told Handelsblatt.
The visits by the other statesmen were expressions of solidarity with Ukraine, union faction leader Johann Wadephul told the Germany editorial network. It would also be good for the federal government to send such a signal with a trip from the Chancellor or Chancellor Annalena Baerbock. Many Ukrainians are disappointed by the German government’s hesitant policy on the embargo on energy and arms supplies.
“He doesn’t have to go empty-handed,” said former CDU Secretary General Ruprecht Polenz. “A trip from Scholz to Kiev without a previous significant increase in weapons deliveries and the will to carry out an energy boycott is futile,” tweeted Polenz. .
Scholz’s visit could be a “strong sign”.
Ukrainian ambassador to Germany Andriy Melnyk told the dpa news agency that he believed “it could send a strong signal if the chancellor travels to Kiev”. However, he would like a visit to be “accompanied by further strategic decisions from the traffic light coalition”.
Specifically, Melnyk demanded, among other things, the immediate delivery of Leopard main battle tanks, Marder infantry fighting vehicles, Panzerhaubitzen 2000 and Cobra artillery detectors from Bundeswehr stockpiles. “According to our analysis, all of this would be manageable for the Federal Republic without weakening national defense or NATO’s obligations,” he said. There are at least 78 Leopard tanks “which are not currently being used by the Bundeswehr and therefore can be delivered immediately”.
Steinmeier signals interest
When asked about a possible trip to Kiev, Scholz told a joint news conference with Johnson in London on Friday: “I think we both shared something about travel plans when we left.”
On the other hand, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier signaled interest in a trip to Kiev on the same day during a visit to Finland: “Of course, I’m also thinking about when the right time for my next visit to Kiev will be.” Melnyk said it would be better if the head of government went to Kiev. A visit by the Federal President would only have a symbolic character. “It would be better for the chancellor or other members of the federal government to come and make concrete decisions about more massive support for Ukraine.”
With information from Kai Küstner, ARD capital studio
Requirements for the chancellor to travel to Kiev
Kai Küstner, ARD Berlin, April 10, 2022 2:43 pm