In a speech of praise for Helmut Kohl, Angela Merkel praised his foresight "never losing sight of the day after" - and also refers to possible relations with Russia after the war. The former chancellor is now antagonizing the Ukrainian ambassador.
The outgoing Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Andriy Melnyk, expressed his outrage at statements made by former Chancellor Angela Merkel at an event organized by the Kohl Foundation on Tuesday evening. Merkel had declared that in view of the war in Russia, Kohl had "always also considered the unthinkable at the moment" - and was referring to the redevelopment of relations with Russia.
Melnyk accused her of "shamelessly" philosophizing about this question, while she made "Moscow's aggression against the Ukrainians" possible in the first place "with her years of pro-Putin coziness." "Hard to believe," Melnyk wrote on Twitter - and garnished his tweet with a "facepalm" emoji. A short time later he deleted the entry.
In a speech marking the 40th anniversary of Kohl's election as chancellor, Merkel emphasized "three principles of political statecraft" that distinguished him: "the importance of the personal in politics, the unconditional will to shape things and thinking in historical contexts." This is also worth considering in the current situation. She believes that Kohl would do everything possible to "protect and restore Ukraine's sovereignty and integrity."
At the same time, the CDU politician never lost sight of "the day after" when it came to issues of this magnitude, Merkel continued. Applied to today, Kohl would "always also think about the currently unthinkable, almost unimaginable - namely how something like relations with and with Russia can be developed again," said the former Chancellor. "Of course, he would never tackle both in a German solo effort."
Melnyk is known for not always diplomatically commenting on the German debate about Russia's war of aggression against his homeland. As an ambassador, Melnyk was therefore controversial. His recall has since been confirmed and he will take up a new post in the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry in Kyiv in October.
