As a number of EU leaders – including the President of Poland – visit Ukraine, Germany has been left licking its wounds after apparently being told that their head of state is ‘not wanted’ in the country.
Presidents from the European nation-states of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia all converged on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv in a show of support for Ukraine’s Zelensky government on Wednesday, which is currently attempting to fight off a Russian invasion.
However, while the Eastern European nation welcomes the heads of state from four different NATO countries, it has reportedly expressed a desire for Germany’s President, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, to stay away, prompting outcry in Germany.
While one official within the country has since denied that Steinmeier was ever snubbed, according to a report by POLITICO, German authorities are under the clear impression that he — and by extension Germany — was very much refused the treatment other European nations are currently receiving, much to the chagrin of those in power.
The perceived snub is said to be a result of Steinmeier’s perceived soft stance on Russia, the head of state having previously attempted to better relations between his country and Moscow during his time as foreign minister.
However, this does not seem to be a sufficient excuse for the instruction to stay away for many within the German camp, with POLITICO describing the incident as a “humiliation” for Germany as a whole due to Steinmeier’s position as the senior-most representative of the German Federal Republic.
What’s more, this reported humiliation was reportedly only heightened thanks to Ukrainian officials apparently leaking the snub to the public through the German publication Bild, preventing the issue from being dealt with “behind the scenes”, as some officials reportedly wanted.
“While understanding the existential threat to Ukraine posed by the Russian invasion, I expect Ukrainian representatives to adhere to a minimum level of diplomatic manners and not unduly interfere in our country’s domestic politics,” POLITICO reports Rolf Mützenich — a senior member of the party to which both Steinmeier and Germany’s leftist Chancellor Olaf Scholz belong to — as saying regarding the snub.
Authorities within the German government have said that the harsh social slight from Ukraine would not result in policy change in Germany, which is currently considering sending tanks to the country.
However, the truth of this claim seems to be up in the air to some degree, with one elected representative saying that Ukraine’s actions may prove to be counterproductive, especially if the move was designed to push the country’s Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, to visit the country himself.
“I can’t imagine the chancellor of a government supported by the FDP travelling to a country that declares our country’s head of state an undesirable person,” said Wolfgang Kubicki of the liberal FDP party.
Others in Germany had already expressed harsh warnings against the possibility of sending heavy armour to Ukraine which may now receive a little more attention, with one ex-Defence Advisor to former Chancellor Angela Merkel warning that the move could end up having devastating consequences for world peace.
“We’re doing a lot of war rhetoric right now – out of good alignment ethics,” said former German Brigadier General Erich Vad. “But as we all know, the road to hell is always paved with good intentions.”
“We must think of the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine from the end,” he continued. “If we don’t want World War III, sooner or later we’ll have to get out of this logic of military escalation and start negotiations.”
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