Andrij Melnyk, not a "Russia-understanding" like Steinmeier?
For me, "Russia-understanding" is not a dirty word, said the former Foreign Minister and current President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier (SPD), in August 2016. The SPD's dealings with Russia have always been special, for example, former Chancellor Brandt was already pushing for rapprochement in the 1960s and Federal Foreign Minister Steinmeier was a welcome guest of the mass murderer and war criminal Vladimir Putin, whereby Steinmeier even warned of an "alienation" towards Russia ...
That this was a shameful misjudgement by the SPD politician Steinmeier from today's point of view, in the face of thousands of dead civilians, far more than a hundred of them children, after only one month of Russia's criminal war of aggression against Ukraine, is kept quiet in the German Federal President's office. Moreover, Steinmeier is not alone in German politics with such misjudgements regarding Russia, which does not bode well in view of the current negotiations with the Iranian terror regime...
If one also considers in this context the questionable Russian lobbying activities of SPD politician and ex-Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, a dozy friend of Kremlin despot Vladimir Putin, whereby Schröder is also a dozy friend of the current Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), then journalists in political Berlin ask themselves how it was possible for this very Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (SPD) to invite Russian musicians to a solidarity concert for Ukraine?
Was sensitivity a foreign word for Steinmeier, who "understands Russia", or was his entourage simply insensitive in organising this event, or are there even more "understanders of Russia" in the Office of the Federal President?
The internationally highly respected Ukrainian ambassador Andrij Melnyk (46) has accordingly, absolutely understandably, cancelled his participation in the solidarity concert with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra in Bellevue Palace, organised by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier as mentioned above. "Only Russian soloists, no Ukrainians," Ambassador Andrij Melnyk tweeted on Sunday. "An affront. Sorry, I'll stay away."
Melnyk has been Ukraine's ambassador to Germany since 12 January 2015, speaks fluent German and English and already served in Germany as Ukraine's consul general in Hamburg between 2007 and 2010 and "YES", Melnyk is not a "Russia-understanding" like Frank-Walter Steinmeier!
Melnyk hopes for more support from Germany against Russia's terror army, not only because of the murderous Russian bombing terror in Mariupol, along with the Russian war crimes in other Ukrainian cities.
The fact that shortly after the Russian terrorist attack on Ukraine, Germany's Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) is said to have said to Melnyk: "You have only a few hours left", whereby Lindner declared weapons deliveries or a Swift exclusion of Russia to be pointless, was described by Ambassador Melnyk with the words: "That was the worst conversation in my life".
Affront or not, it is certain that if ever there was an exceptionally authorised ambassador of a country, this Andrij Melnyk is the symbol of an outstanding diplomat who strives day and night to fight for his Ukrainian people, and yes, such diplomats or politicians of the calibre of Andrij Melnyk would also look very good to the Federal Republic of Germany. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selensky and his Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, can be proud of Andrij Melnyk!
So, no matter how you twist and turn the weekend's affront, the well over two hundred million euros that the Federal Republic of Germany pays - daily, mind you - to the Russian terrorist state for gas and oil reek of Ukrainian children's blood, which is why the German "Russia-understanders" should urgently rethink their policy.... I.Schneider--BTZ