Like his predecessor, the new Ukrainian ambassador to Germany believes that Russia will lose the war. While Oleksii Makeiev travels to his new place of work by car, Andrij Melnyk returns to his homeland. Both want to keep in touch.

The designated new ambassador of Ukraine in Germany, Oleksii Makeiev, expects his country to win in the defense against the Russian invasion. “The German people support Ukraine so strongly that I am sure that we will win the war together with Germany and all other European partners! The faster the better,” he told the “Bild” newspaper. He and his embassy team would “contribute enormously to victory every day,” he assured.

His predecessor Andriy Melnyk returned to Ukraine at the weekend after almost eight years as ambassador to Germany. On Saturday evening he crossed the border from Poland to Ukraine by car, where he first wants to visit his mother in his hometown of Lviv. “Home Sweet Home,” he wrote on Twitter from the border crossing. “Our fight goes on. Ukraine will win. Dear German friends, thank you for everything. And goodbye.”

Makeiev said of his predecessor: “Andrij did a great job and I will always come back to his expertise. We made the transition seamless and made the change over the weekend.”

Makeiev drove to Berlin on Sunday. He is expected at his new place of work this Monday. The change at the head of the embassy will only formally take place once Makeiev has been accredited by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, for which there is no official date yet. Makeiev was previously the government commissioner for sanctions against Russia.