Volodymyr Zelenskyy visits Germany on Sunday
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will travel to Germany on Sunday to meet leaders of Europe’s largest economy, a government source in Berlin told Agence France-Presse on Saturday.
The program of the visit has not yet been officially announced, but according to leaks in German media, the Ukrainian head of state is expected to meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
During the day, Mr. Zelenskyy will also be presented with the Charlemagne Prize, an award that recognizes a particularly outstanding commitment to harmony in Europe. However, it is not yet certain that he will come to Aachen to receive him personally. This city is located in western Germany near the Belgian border, hundreds of kilometers from Berlin.
“For the first time in its long history, the Charlemagne Prize recognizes with this award that freedom and the basic principles of Europe must be defended with violence if necessary,” said organizing committee director Jürgen Linden in the Tagesspiegel this week.
On the eve of Mr Zelenskyy’s visit to Germany, Berlin announced a new €2.7 billion military aid plan to Ukraine, which includes the delivery of numerous tanks, armored vehicles and anti-aircraft systems. “We all want a quick end to this cruel war of Russia against the Ukrainian people, but unfortunately it is not in sight. “Therefore, Germany will provide all possible assistance for as long as necessary,” Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said in a statement.
According to the weekly newspaper Der Spiegel, these are the largest arms shipments from Berlin to Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion. However, Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Andri Melnyk considered them insufficient.
“It’s a pity that most of the promised defense systems are old,” lamented the former Ukrainian ambassador to Germany on Welt TV. “It is also disappointing to see the federal government’s continued refusal to cross the red lines it has set itself, particularly on the supply of fighter jets. This taboo needs to be broken urgently,” he added.