German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a telephone conversation in May that Kiev's refusal to host him in April was a "historic insult," Spiegel reported on Saturday, citing sources
BERLIN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th July, 2022) German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a telephone conversation in May that Kiev's refusal to host him in April was a "historic insult," Spiegel reported on Saturday, citing sources.
According to high-ranking sources in Berlin, Steinmeier told Zelenskyy that the refusal "became a historical insult unique to the head of state," adding that he would like to receive an explanation before talking about a "joint future" between Germany and Ukraine, Spiegel said.
After some conciliatory words from Zelenskyy, the German president said that the topic was closed, the newspaper said.
In April, German news outlet Bild reported that Zelenskyy had refused to host Steinmeier in Kiev due to his "close connections" to Russia in recent years. Later, Steinmeier confirmed that he was advised by Polish President Andrzej Duda to take a joint trip to Ukraine with the leaders of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, yet Kiev deemed it "undesirable."
