The Ukrainian ambassador in Berlin is often criticized – his direct manner causes some resentment in the Federal Republic. Andriy Melnyk justifies his sharp tone towards the federal government by saying that he wants to “shake people up a bit here in Germany”.
Ukraine’s Ambassador to Germany Andriy Melnyk has again criticized Germany’s hesitancy in delivering heavy weapons. Ukraine welcomes the recent announcement by Chancellor Olaf Scholz about new arms deliveries, Melnyk said on ZDF. “But if we’re honest: 100 days of war – until today not a single piece of heavy equipment has been delivered to the Ukraine from Germany.”
“The first weapons will probably not arrive until the end of June,” said Melnyk. Scholz had announced the delivery of the modern IRIS-T-SLM air defense system and a tracking radar in the Bundestag on Wednesday. In addition, Germany wants to deliver four MARS II multiple rocket launchers to Ukraine.
The federal government had previously agreed to provide Ukraine with self-propelled howitzers and Gepard anti-aircraft vehicles. In addition, countries such as Greece and the Czech Republic are to deliver Soviet-era tanks to Ukraine via an exchange of rings, which Germany will then replace with modern equipment for NATO allies.
After 100 days of war there are “so many dead, so many injured, so many families destroyed,” said Melnyk. “We hope that Germany will help us to end this war.”
The Ukrainian ambassador justified his often sharp tone towards the federal government in the debate about arms deliveries to his country. “The point here is for people to understand what this war means,” said Melnyk. “We’re in hell.”
“For this reason, I think it’s appropriate to shake people up a bit here in Germany to create a sense of urgency,” said the ambassador. It is necessary “to point out again and again that time is a decisive factor”.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday that Russian forces now control “around 20 percent” of Ukrainian territory.
Ukraine is fighting to recapture the territories occupied by Russia since the beginning of the war, Melnyk said. The aim remains to recapture the Crimean peninsula annexed in 2014 and the areas in Donbass that have since been controlled by pro-Russian separatists.
