“The camel’s back”
CDU MP calls for Melnyk’s expulsion
08/29/2022, 6:17 p.m
It is clear that the Ukrainian ambassador will soon be leaving Germany. But the CDU politician Lehmann is not fast enough. Because he canceled an invitation from the Saxon Prime Minister Kretschmer, the Leipzig member of the Bundestag demands Melnyk’s expulsion.
After the expulsion of the Saxon Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer by the outgoing Ukrainian ambassador, a Leipzig CDU politician called for Andriy Melnyk to be expelled from Germany. Jens Lehmann, a member of the Bundestag, wrote on Instagram: “I’m tired of Ambassador Melnyk constantly complaining about Germany, unloading politicians and sometimes insulting them. The camel’s back!”
On a photo with text, Lehmann wrote: “Andriy Melnyk should be expelled and should therefore be quickly declared persona non grata so that he can leave Germany quickly.” According to Lehmann, Germany is doing a great deal for Ukraine, be it humanitarian, economic or military aid. “Ambassador Melnyk should also recognize that instead of being offended by a prime minister who has a differentiated view of the war and its outcome.” After six months of war, Lehmann emphasized, “we must also be able to talk about how and in what form the war can end.”
“You are unwanted”
Melnyk had invited the CDU politician Kretschmer to visit Ukraine on Sunday. “With your absurd rhetoric about freezing the war, you are playing into Putin’s hands & fueling Russia’s aggression,” Melnyk wrote on Twitter. He once invited the CDU politician to Ukraine. “This invitation is cancelled. You are UNWANTED. Period,” Melnyk wrote. The 46-year-old referred to a program on Markus Lanz’s ZDF talk show, which was already running on Wednesday. There Kretschmer had called for the war in Ukraine to be frozen. Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24. Since then, the attacked country has resisted the invasion and tried to regain territories conquered by Russia.
Kretschmer said on the show that it was important to argue that this war had to be frozen in the debate. “That we need a truce, that we need negotiations to end this war.” At the same time, the CDU politician clearly condemned the Russian war of aggression in the program. As ambassador, Melnyk caused several heated debates in Germany. With sometimes harsh words to leading SPD politicians, he called for arms deliveries to Ukraine. In the meantime, Melnyk has been recalled. He will leave Germany in October and will take up a new post in the Foreign Ministry in Kyiv.