Kyiv: Ukraine has no interest in aggravating relations with Germany, and the refusal to host German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Kyiv will be addressed, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Thursday.
“Ukraine has great respect for Germany… We are not interested in escalation, aggravation of bilateral relations. I am sure this situation will be resolved through diplomatic channels and will not harm diplomatic relations,” Kuleba said at a briefing.
The rejection of what was supposed to be a surprise visit by Steinmeier was leaked to the German daily Bild.
Ukrainian officials told the paper that Steinmeier was not wanted in Kyiv because of his perceived close ties to Russia and its foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov.
However, they said that the visit could still take place at a later date. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Wednesday that he found Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s refusal to welcome Steinmeier to Kiev “somewhat irritating.”
