With his bold and sometimes undiplomatic manner, Andrij Melnyk not only makes friends in Germany. Shortly before leaving Berlin, the Ukrainian ambassador is forgiving. He even finds praise for the SPD.
Six months after the start of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, the outgoing Ukrainian ambassador in Berlin, Andriy Melnyk, praised Germany’s support for his country. “Germany has made a quantum leap in these six months of war,” said Melnyk on ZDF.
“When I think that we argued about helmets at the beginning, today Germany also supplies heavy weapons, and that’s a good thing,” said Melnyk. Unfortunately, negotiations and peace can only be achieved through military successes on the part of Kiev.
Melnyk did not respond to his earlier drastic criticism of Berlin and his sometimes insulting statements about Chancellor Olaf Scholz. All he said was that he was committed to the fact that German politics was “shaken up” from his own “dream that everything is fine”. Germany is now also aware that everything must be done to help Ukraine.
Ukraine appreciates that Germany is now ready “to give us a hand”. In his praise, the outgoing ambassador also expressly included the SPD, whose Russia course he had previously repeatedly criticized.
In his own words, Melnyk is following the debate that support among the German population could wane in view of rising energy prices “with concern”. But he hopes that this support “remains so robust that Ukraine does not have to fear being left in the lurch.” Ultimately, the war is about defending democratic values.
He doesn’t believe that Germany will turn around, said Melnyk, who will remain ambassador in Berlin until October. “We’re counting on the huge empathy and support from the people we’ve experienced.” His compatriots were welcomed with open arms, and “we, the Ukrainians, will be grateful for that for decades to come.”