The guard of honor of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko welcomed German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday during her one-day visit to Kiev with Ukrainian a nationalist salute that recently became a military greeting in the Ukrainian armed forces.
KIEV (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st November, 2018) The guard of honor of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko welcomed German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday during her one-day visit to Kiev with Ukrainian a nationalist salute that recently became a military greeting in the Ukrainian armed forces."Greetings to the soldiers," Merkel said in Ukrainian, addressing the presidential honor guard upon her arrival at the Mariinsky Palace in Kiev, where she was welcomed by Poroshenko.
The presidential guardians responded with greeting of Ukrainian nationalists "Glory to Heroes!"
"Glory to Ukraine! Glory to Heroes!" is the slogan of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (banned in Russia) which is accused of cooperating with the Nazis during World War II. Ukraine's efforts to legitimize the slogan have been strongly criticized by the Russian Foreign Ministry.
In early October, the Ukrainian parliament voted to change the official salute of the Ukrainian Army from "Hello, comrades!" to "Glory to Ukraine!" and "Glory to Heroes!" President Petro Poroshenko signed the bill into law on October 11.
During their most recent visits to Ukraine, the presidents of Belarus and Turkey, Alexander Lukashenko and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, respectively, also welcomed the presidential guard in the Ukrainian language.
