Shortly before leaving Germany, former Ukrainian ambassador Andrij Melnyk offered Chancellor Scholz (SPD) an apology for the abusive remarks. Melnyk said on Tuesday on Bild TV that he had asked the Chancellery to speak to Scholz about his imminent departure from Germany. "If the chancellor were to receive me before leaving, I would apologize to him."
He would apologize for calling the chancellor an "insulted liverwurst," said Melnyk. The diplomat made this statement when Scholz initially refused his own trip to Kyiv at the beginning of May after Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier was disinvited from Ukraine.
Melnyk assessed the prospects of a personal meeting with the chancellor as uncertain: "Let's see, I hope so."
The Ukrainian admitted to being offended by his appearance in Germany. "My main wish remains and is to strengthen relations with Germany, even if it didn't always appear that way," he asserted. He and his family loved Germany and its culture: "It's hard for us to say goodbye."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi recalled Melnyk from the post of ambassador in Berlin in early July. After his return to Kyiv, Melnyk will continue to work in his country's diplomatic service. He did not want to comment on reports that he would become deputy foreign minister. The government must decide that.
