Russia-Ukraine live updates: As Putin insists war will continue, Biden describes invasion as ‘genocide’
BERLIN — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky indicated that he would not meet with Germany’s president during a potential trip to Kyiv, leading the president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, to scrap plans for a visit, according to Bild, a German mass-circulation daily.
Steinmeier appeared to acknowledge the snub, saying during an appearance Tuesday in Warsaw that a visit “was not wanted in Kyiv.” Steinmeier’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesman for Zelensky declined to comment.
The episode highlights tensions between Kyiv and Berlin, which has resisted calls to embargo Russian energy supplies and sent mixed messages about the German government’s willingness to export heavy weapons to Ukraine.
Under Germany’s parliamentary system, the president acts as the head of state, while the chancellor, Olaf Scholz, heads the government. But Steinmeier, a member of Scholz’s center-left Social Democratic Party, is also a former foreign minister and vice chancellor, giving him greater prominence in matters of foreign policy.
His orientation toward Russia has made him a lighting rod during the Kremlin’s assault on its neighbor. He had previously accused NATO of provoking Russia and championed the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline between Russia and Germany, which was scrapped only in February, on the eve of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
In recent weeks, Steinmeier has expressed regret for his posture toward Russia, saying his support for Nord Stream 2 had been a mistake and calling for a war-crimes trial against Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
“My adherence to Nord Stream 2 was clearly a mistake,” Steinmeier said. “We were sticking to a bridge in which Russia no longer believed and which other partners had warned us against.”