German President Says Ukraine Didn’t Want Him To Visit Kyiv

Topline

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier considered visiting the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, but his presence “wasn’t wanted,” he told reporters Tuesday, amid frustration over some German officials’ prior openness to forging stronger ties with the Russian government.

Key Facts

During a trip to Warsaw, Steinmeier told news outlets he intended to travel to Ukraine alongside the leaders of Poland and other European countries, but “that apparently wasn’t wanted in Kyiv,” according to Deutsche Welle and other outlets.

Steinmeier didn’t explain why Ukraine rejected his offer to visit, but Germany’s Bild newspaper reported Tuesday that Ukrainian officials didn’t want Steinmeier to travel to Kyiv because of his historically amiable relationship with Russia.

Ukraine’s frustration with Steinmeier—a former German foreign minister who had once hoped to build a friendlier relationship with Russia—has not been a secret: Ukraine’s ambassador to Germany Andriy Melnyk accused Steinmeier of forming a “web of contacts with Russia for decades” in an interview last week.

Surprising Fact

Last week, Steinmeier appeared to acknowledge he had misread Russian President Vladimir Putin, telling reporters he mistakenly believed Putin wouldn’t “embrace his country’s complete economic, political and moral ruin for the sake of his imperial madness.” He also said his prior support for the now-delayed Nord Stream 2 project—an undersea gas pipeline that would’ve connected Russia with Germany—was “clearly a mistake.”

Key Background

After Russia invaded Ukraine in February, Germany’s historical willingness to form stable diplomatic and economic links with Russia—rooted partly in a belief that stronger ties with Russia could pacify Putin’s regime—drew intense scrutiny. Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky chided Germany and France for opposing a 2008 U.S.-led push to admit Ukraine to NATO, an idea Russia vehemently opposed. Germany has also been criticized for relying on Russian oil and natural gas imports, leading Zelensky to accuse the country of prioritizing commerce over holding Russia accountable for its previous incursions into Ukraine last month. Some of this criticism has been directed toward Steinmeier, who served as foreign minister to former German Chancellor Angela Merkel for two stints in the 2000s and 2010s before becoming the country’s president, a largely ceremonial role. Steinmeier was once known for his relative openness to Russia, a philosophy that was shaken when Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula and backed separatists in eastern Ukraine eight years ago, leading Steinmeier to seek to broker a peace deal. He also defended Nord Stream 2 after critics warned the project would deepen Germany’s dependence on Russia, arguing last year oil and gas sales were “one of the last bridges between Russia and Europe.”

Tangent

Since the invasion began, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has shifted his government’s attitude toward Russia—and its approach to defense. Germany has now committed to sending military aid to Ukrainian forces and boosting its own defense spending, though some Germans and Ukrainians have criticized Scholz’s government for moving slowly on lethal aid deliveries.

Further Reading

German President Calls Support For Nord Stream 2 ‘Clearly A Mistake’ (Forbes)