After the summit between US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday evening, Ukraine is looking to possible future developments. Andrii Melnyk, Ambassador of Ukraine to Germany, told the Berliner Zeitung: “The Ukrainians expressly applaud all diplomatic efforts of our partners, especially the recent phone call by US President Joe Biden, with a robust coordinated warning to President Putin of a new one military invasion of Ukraine. ”It is still too early to say whether“ Putin has abandoned his insane plan to launch a large-scale attack on Ukraine ”.
During the crisis, Melnyk places particular hope in Germany and the sustainability of the transatlantic partnership: Putin is “constantly trying to drive a wedge between Germany and the USA”. This should not be allowed under any circumstances: “This is why this transatlantic unity is of immense importance to us.” Ukraine has high expectations of the new federal government: “Especially now, after the election of a new federal government, we need a powerful voice from Berlin, to provide a cold shower for Moscow’s war preparations ”.
Melnyk: “We expect a strong diplomatic initiative from the new Chancellor Olaf Scholz himself, not only to avert a new acute threat of war in Europe, but also to end the occupation of Crimea and Donbass, which has been going on since 2014, by political means. We therefore call on the German head of government to convene a Normandy summit in Berlin in the next few weeks to bring Mr Putin back to the negotiating table. At the same time, we call on the entire federal government to publish a catalog of harsh and painful punitive measures against Russia, including the ban on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, should Mr Putin venture this war despite all warnings. “
The new Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) should travel to Paris on her first visit abroad this Wednesday evening. This was announced by a spokesman for the Foreign Office in Berlin. As already announced by the French side, a meeting with Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian is planned there for Thursday morning. The new Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) is expected in Paris on Friday.
According to the Foreign Office, Baerbock wants to travel to Brussels on Thursday afternoon to speak to the EU foreign affairs officer, Josep Borrell. In addition, she wants to meet NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg for a meeting. On Friday morning, Baerbock plans to travel to Warsaw for a meeting with Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau.
According to the Foreign Office, the talks will focus on current bilateral, European and foreign policy issues. Primarily “the situation between Russia and Ukraine” was mentioned. (with AFP)