Dhe Presidents of Germany and Ukraine have called for the rapid formation of bilateral city partnerships to help Ukrainian municipalities through the winter. During a visit to Kyiv, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier met the Ukrainian head of state, Volodymyr Zelensky, after there had been a diplomatic rift between them in the spring.
Zelenskyy thanked Germany for supporting his country attacked by Russia. In this way, the Federal Republic is contributing to peace in Ukraine. This is “big and historically important,” he said.
In particular, Zelenskyi mentioned the delivery of the Iris-T anti-aircraft system from Germany. He hopes that more systems will come of it. This is “really a priority” for his country. Zelenskyj also acknowledged Germany’s willingness to strengthen Ukraine’s energy resilience. Large parts of the electricity and district heating networks have been damaged by Russian missile attacks.
Steinmeier emphasized that he wanted to come to Ukraine precisely because of the “vile attacks” by Russia. He assured the Ukrainians: “We are on your side. We support you. We will continue to support you.” This applies economically, politically and also militarily for as long as it is necessary. He admired the people of Ukraine “for their courage, for their inflexibility, for their bravery” in the face of the Russian war of aggression.
Steinmeier and Selenskyj said they wanted to take over the patronage of a German-Ukrainian town twinning scheme. “Municipal partnerships offer a basis for lived solidarity in the face of war; they lay the foundation for a common future,” it said in a statement. “They are sending a clear signal to Moscow: Your war will not divide us – it will bring us even closer together as Germans, Ukrainians and as Europeans.”
Handshake of the Presidents: Steinmeier and Selenskyj at the press conference
Source: dpa/Michael Kappeler
There are currently more than 100 town twinnings with the Ukraine, but they are maintained to varying degrees. 34 were re-knotted after the war began. In recent days, Russia has repeatedly attacked Ukraine’s infrastructure with missiles and drones, damaging electricity and heat supplies. Kyiv was also attacked. Mayor Vitali Klitschko showed Steinmeier a destroyed house. Many Ukrainians face a freezing, dark winter if the infrastructure is not repaired.
Air alert during Steinmeier’s visit to Koryukivka
During his visit to the Ukraine, Steinmeier also got a small impression of what the war in the country means for the people. Immediately after his arrival in the small town of Koryukivka, north-east of Kyiv, an air raid alarm was sounded there. Steinmeier, Mayor Ratan Achmedow and a group of citizens then went to an air raid shelter.
There, the Federal President had the people report on how they experienced the Russian war of aggression. A woman tearfully told about the start of the war on February 24, another about her husband, who is fighting against the Russian army. “My husband is on the front lines, on the hottest front lines,” she said.
“We spent the first hour and a half in the air raid shelter,” Steinmeier said afterwards. “That gave us a particularly impressive understanding of the conditions under which people live here.” It was a situation that could not be ruled out during the visit. The people there have to live with this situation every day. “Having the conversation there was particularly impressive. And I don’t think it was just me.”
While Frank-Walter Steinmeier waited in the air raid shelter, he spoke to the townspeople
Source: dpa/Michael Kappeler
Steinmeier arrived by train on Tuesday morning for a surprise visit to Ukraine. “I am very happy to be in Ukraine today. For eight months, Russia has been waging a brutal and illegal war of aggression. It is important to me to send a sign of solidarity to the Ukrainians right now, in the phase of the vile Russian airstrikes throughout the country,” Steinmeier said, according to the press release.
Steinmeier’s third attempt
It is the Federal President’s third attempt to travel there. In the past week, this had been postponed at short notice for security reasons. The Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), responsible for his protection, wrote on Twitter that it had “recommended, in view of the current risk situation, that Federal President Steinmeier’s planned trip to Ukraine be postponed”.
In the days before, Russia had repeatedly attacked Ukraine’s infrastructure with rockets and drones, severely damaging the electricity and heat supply. The capital Kyiv was also attacked.
Steinmeier is on a one-day visit to Ukraine and wants to see for himself the destruction caused by Russia’s war of aggression
Source: dpa/Michael Kappeler
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is sitting in the saloon car on the train from Przemysl to Kyiv and is working on his documents
Source: dpa/Michael Kappeler
Steinmeier actually wanted to travel to Kyiv in mid-April – together with the presidents of Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. The initiative for this came from Poland’s President Andrzej Duda. Immediately before the start came a cancellation for Steinmeier from Kyiv. The discharge was seen in Berlin as an unprecedented diplomatic and political affront. The situation only eased again after a telephone conversation between the two presidents in early May.
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