Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected in Berlin on Sunday. Government sources have confirmed this to ART Capital Studio. Extensive closures are being prepared in the government district.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will visit Germany this weekend for the first time since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He is expected in Berlin on Sunday, government sources confirmed in the ARD capital studio on Saturday.
It was initially unclear whether Selenskyj would arrive on Saturday evening or only on Sunday. The President’s exact schedule for Sunday is yet to be announced.
There has been speculation about a meeting with Chancellor Olaf Scholes (SPD) in Berlin a week ago due to the carelessness of the Berlin police. Berlin police announced “extensive security measures and traffic closures” in the government district on Sunday – but without initially specifying a reason for the preventive measures. The area around the Federal Chancellery and the Spreeweg leading out from the Großer Stern in front of Bellevue Palace were particularly affected.
Berlin police announced in early May that Zelensky would be in Berlin and Aachen on May 13 and 14 at the invitation of the chancellery. However, the central government has not confirmed this. The Charlemagne Prize for European Merit, awarded to Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people in December, will be presented in Aachen on Sunday afternoon.
The police advance risked the visit because Zelenskyj’s foreign trips, of which there are already several, are usually kept secret until the last minute for security reasons. This also explains the central government’s reluctance to announce the visit plan.
Selenskij was last in Germany as a participant in the Munich Security Conference in February 2022, days before the Russian invasion. He accused the German government of reluctance to supply arms to Ukraine, long after the war began. However, after the promise of Leopard 2 Main Battle Tanks, it fell short.
Germany is one of the most important supporters of Ukraine – both militarily and financially. Since the start of the war, the federal government has approved arms supplies worth 2.75 billion euros. On Saturday, he announced another multibillion-dollar support package.
Zelenskyj was in Italy on Saturday. There he held talks with President Sergio Mattarella, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Pope Francis. Italy has pledged more military and financial support to the Ukrainian president in Rome. For security reasons, Zelenskiy did not publicly announce the exact course of his stay in Rome.
Broadcast: rbb24 Inforadio, May 13, 2023, 3:30 pm
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