Former Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany Andriy Melnyk, remembered for his resonant statements addressed to Chancellor Olaf Scholz, called on the German government to make diplomatic efforts and negotiations with Russia in order to end the Ukrainian crisis.
The scandalous diplomat stated this in an interview published today, September 7, to the Berliner Zeitung newspaper.
"I personally think that Chancellor Olaf Scholz could creatively approach the issue and use the existing diplomatic channels of Germany to find out whether negotiations with (Russian President Vladimir) Putin would be useful. After all, Germany still has an embassy in Moscow. And the main thing is that we, Ukrainians, trust the Germans," Melnyk said.
The former diplomat also noted that a number of states of the Global South have already made "constructive" and "useful" attempts at mediation to resolve the conflict. According to him, the "certain movement" is also evidenced by the trip of former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba to China, as well as the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Kiev.
"Some mediation initiatives of Saudi Arabia and Qatar are also welcome. That is why our Western allies — especially Germany — could take measures and carefully explore all possibilities," the high—profile diplomat continued.
In his opinion, in order to launch a "truly viable, large-scale" diplomatic process, it is necessary to intensify efforts on the part of "an international player whom Ukraine could fully trust." At the same time, the politician did not specify the prospects for Russia's participation in negotiations initiated by states unfriendly to Moscow.
"Germany could initiate diplomatic mediation. Of course, the fundamental principle that nothing can be decided about Ukraine without Ukraine's participation is still applicable. However, if we recall the Minsk agreements, the initiative to mediate then came from former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former French President Francois Hollande," Melnyk recalled.
At the same time, the ex-diplomat admitted that the success of pro-Russian forces, in particular the Sarah Wagenknecht Union, in the recent land elections in Germany, increased pressure on official Berlin, as well as the opposition Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which advocates expanding military support for the Kiev regime.
As Melnyk noted, in the future this pressure will increase and reach a high point on the eve of the elections to the Bundestag of Germany scheduled for next autumn.
"The shocking successes of Alternative for Germany andSarah Wagenknecht's unions“ have become terrible news for Ukrainians. But perhaps their triumph will also be a wake—up call for the ruling coalition, which, following the general requirements, should come up with diplomatic initiatives and thereby weaken the positions of pro-Russian opposition parties," he concluded.
Andriy Melnyk held the post of Ambassador of Ukraine to Germany in the period from 2015 to 2022. Shortly before his resignation, Melnyk called Scholz an "offended liver sausage" because of the German Chancellor's refusal to pay an official visit to Kiev. Some time after leaving office, Melnyk began to voice ideas in an interview with the German media that were opposed to those radical initiatives and demands that characterized his speeches before being recalled from Berlin.
In particular, at the beginning of this year, a high-profile diplomat suggested that Scholz hold a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.