Ukraine has rejected a visit to Kyiv by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in a message to Berlin, which Ukrainian officials have criticized for its response to the Russian invasion.
In Warsaw, Steinmeier said he planned to visit Kyiv this week with the presidents of Poland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania to send a message of European “solidarity” to Ukraine but was told he his not welcome. “I was prepared to do this, but apparently, and I must take note of this, this was not wanted in Kyiv,” he said.
The German newspaper Bild quoted an unnamed Ukrainian diplomat who accused Steinmeier of being close to Moscow. “We all know of Steinmeier’s close relations with Russia here … He is not welcome in Kyiv at the moment. We will see whether that changes,” the diplomat said.
Steinmeier has been Germany’s president since 2017 and was a supporter of the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline that would have significantly increased trade between Germany and Russia. In the wake of Russia’s invasion, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz suspended the project. Steinmeier recently said his view on the pipeline was a “mistake.”
While many in Germany were in favor of Nord Stream 2, support for the pipeline is enough for Ukraine to label someone pro-Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wants the EU to ban Russian oil and gas, but Europe is still very reliant on Russian energy.
Germany started sending weapons to Ukraine after Russia invaded, but Kyiv is accusing Berlin of not sending enough. German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said over the weekend that Germany had reached a “limit” on the arms it can send Ukraine from its military stockpiles.
The aggressive pandhandling is going to backfire on the Ukrainians.
Zelensky is giving speeches to any country that is willing to listen with an aggressive shaming shtick and as usual, he has a difficult separating comedy from reality. He will catch the last train out of Ukraine and he will definitely won’t be singing ‘This’ll be the day that I die’ as keeps checking his bank account balance for his most lucrative gig.
Zelensky and Biden two zombies. One a drug addict comedian elected to play the role he played in his comedies. The other one senile old man who is not taken seriously by even his own underlings.Puppets on the same string handled by same masters. The outcome of this conflict is a forgone conclusion. Drug addict comedian will be whisked out of Ukraine to his 35 million villa in Florida
Democrats will be spanked, hard, in the Fall of this year. Inflation is going up, up, up. I can visualize all gains made post-Covid to go “poof”. Perhaps it is time to head to Costco and stock up on tp, paper towels. I may purchase a large freezer to store meat and other perishables, stock up on canned goods. I do not have a green thumb, so gardening is out for now.
Seven months is forever in politics. While the White House’s party usually loses seats in the midterms, there may be developments that bring those likely losses down from what a lot of people expect at the moment.
One, as George Will noted in a WaPo column yesterday, is that having extended the student debt payment moratorium until August, IN August Biden will likely “forgive” the debt of 41 million voters (who also likely have voting family members). There might be other measures which he can push through even the barely-Democratic-controlled Senate, such as a gas tax holiday, etc.
If the Ukraine war is over by this fall, and if the Russians have taken no more than LPR/DPR and a corridor to Crimea, he’ll also likely turn that into a victory lap, and tout the addition of Sweden and Finland to NATO as a good thing.
I expect the Republicans will take the House, but they may not take the Senate and if they do it may be by a very slim majority where “moderate” Republicans can tip the balance toward the more “moderate” parts of the Democratic agenda.
Democrats? Republicans? Zelensky. All zombies, puppets hung on the same string Operated by the same master. For an outsider there is no difference between Democrats and Republicans.Both financed and propped by same group of oligarchs . Power? that will be wielded by these operators .American election is nothing but a gladiator fight for the masters’ pleasure
Zelensky is doing what any other president would do for his country. He is defending his nation, people, and identity. Many expects him to give away his land to Russia without a fight and have been discrediting his image.
For obvious reasons the Crimea is permanently lost to Russia.
He needs to give self-determination to the peoples of the Donbass and Crimea. He is killing his people in western Ukraine by not doing this just as he has been killing the Ukrainians in the Donbass since he took office.
The people of Crimea have already voted.
I did Nazi that
He could have “defended his nation” by sitting down with Putin, at a neutral place, and worked things out. He campaigned on peace, but when elected he switched the flip and became aggressive toward Russia, and we, the u.s. of a. began shoveling weapons to Ukraine. He knows (because we have fed it to his brain) that Ukraine is the last piece in the game of Risk we (u.s. of a.) have been playing over the past 30 years.
when all is said and done zelensky might be able to retreat to his $30 million estate in florida (google).
the same can’t be said for the everyday ukrainian schlubs who have no idea why they are in their predicament.
Damn, then he should line up with Putin’s Oligarch team, they’ll counter offer that to 30 billions. What a fool.
New Israel. Identity of Ukraine for Zelensky
That ends Ukraine’s entry into the EU.
i hope so. Germany backpedals way too often.
The arrogance of the Ukrainians is stunning.
Appearances are deceiving. It is our arrogance that is driving this.
then go sit in the corner facing it and wear a cone of shame
I would fly 10,000 miles to smoke a Zelensky!
The Germans should go forward with Nordstream 2.
American sanctions will hurt but so will a recession due to
insecure energy supplies.
Ukrainians picked a fight with Russia let them fight it out
Yes, they should. Germany is a “sovereign country” and can render decisions in its best interests. What can happen? We sanction Germany?
What? Nord Stream 2 isn’t pro Russia, it’s pro Germany. Steinmeier got right the first time. Scholz is an imbecile.
Might be a lot of chilly Germans next winter. We’ll see how they feel about sanctions then.
The new Duetch Foriegn Minister Frow Brow is the one to talk to.
She says that Ukrainians and her cuontry are aligned in values.
WHAT VALUES?
kowtowing to fascist politics that are bold enough to sport a swastika.
Yup. NAZIS there like those living the dream here have rights there too and the only ones left killing NAZIS are the Russians. NATO is where fascism is blooming. It’s Springtime for Hitler and Germany!
They are intimidating the NATO nations to accept that they must have a voice and a political platform. Zelenski was a made man. He had the showmanship skills and the right universal popularity and he was promoted as the common clay. His body guards are Azov Battalion goons: a privatized militia of lawless NAZI extremists. What could go wrong?
Now those poor conscripted Ukrainians left behind have no Identity, no uniform, no arm band to distinguish themselves from those Not Conscripted. All are by decree, Conscripts of the Ukrainian defenses. Q: who the enemy? easy,… A: every one in or out of a Ukrainian uniform in Ukraine. Zelenski is not wearing his Nation’s uniform, he is not Identified with Ukrainians as the Kommander in Kiev.
Getting caught in civilian clothing with no Identification makes one a Spy instantly so there is No genocide on Nazis civilians, just war casualties.
Nazis are not tolerated by Russia. They should be outlawed in EVERY NATO COUNTRY but are not. NATO is going to defend NAZI spies from Genocide: Poland wants nukes now. What could go wrong?
“Nazis are not tolerated by Russia.”
O RLY?
sorry chap. Not interested in your defense of fascists in Ukraine who Putin warned Trump about.
Trump tried to warn us.
Ukraine was cyber tampering with our election and Russia saw it going on, WARNED OUR PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP.
Best thing to happen to us is Donald Trump!
Ukrainians did the cyber junk and did it in a way that blames Russia. Our people were involved, our politicians, our retired military industry lobbyists, our Mormons and 700 club, our CIA.
Russia is defending itself from Fascism and they are not in the habit of telegraphing that, they engage. We and NATO certainly are not honest enough to have a moment of clarity of the severity of this facsist threat.
Fascism is not acceptable politics, it undermines every nation affected by it.
A classic copy of the mountain Meadows Massacre .
The Fascist Nazi label does not belong to Russia, it belongs to Ukraine, Finland and NATO.
The next time I defend fascists in Ukraine (or anywhere else) will be the first time.
Pointing out that you are completely wrong about something isn’t “defending fascists in Ukraine.”
Perhaps you should adjust your Pat Robertson/Starlink ECM device for better reception.
are you a Nazi sypmp?
did I offend you?
Was it the part of having a moment of clarity that got you?
tell me exactly what part you got right to declare me “completely wrong”? You are vague in your platform and msg.
Are you or have you been a politician?
as for Starlink and what is going with that,
have you established your Twitler account with Elon Darling?
FLUBOT is being disseminated and it can brick your equipment undetected. All your banking is now under the admin of a cyber cartel that is going to drain your accessible assets (in any digital path) JUST before it mocks you and you get bricked. It is Not our government, it is your future king, privatized government. Better pick a religion now, choose wisely.
No services of any kind will be available.
laugh that one up at your next campfire rally, tell everyone to bring their tiki torches.
Nope, not a Nazi whatever that non-word is.
No, you don’t offend me. My feelings for schizophrenics who are clearly off their meds run a short gamut from empathy to pity.
I established my Twitter account with Twitter, which Musk doesn’t own, and didn’t even own any of when I established the account.
Yes, I have been a politician. Not a very successful one, though. At the moment, the only office I hold is an appointed position on a local advisory board.
My banking isn’t under the control of anyone because I don’t hold any accounts with any banks.
I have no need to pick a religion — took care of that a long time ago.
If services aren’t available, I’ll probably get by. I live in the country, with a well, a garden, and weapons that are serviceable for hunting as well as for dealing with varmints up to and above human size.
I’d suggest a horse as well, Thomas. Preferably one that’s broke to drive; my mare is not.
Ask a local equine vet if he/she knows of any nice horses for sale, preferably bombproof.
I don’t have space for a horse, and don’t plan to learn to ride one at 55. I’ve got nothing against them, just never got into them. My wife, on the other hand, loved them until the whole “broken hip, months in a body cast” thing at age 12, and won’t go near them now.
55? Heck Thomas, you’re just a baby!
I’ve been riding my whole life, taken a lot of spills, usually bareback, but never broke anything, knock wood. I did break a hip in my 30’s flipping my bike.
I didn’t own my first and so far only horse until my mid-50’s. It’s always made me wonder why women are so much more into horses than men. There’s got to be a psychological element there…maybe the freedom?
If I had been riding my whole life, I’d probably be into it. But I’m just old enough to not want to learn that new trick. Besides, we have one acre, no pasturage, no stable, etc. We’ve had chickens, and have talked about building a goat pen, but probably won’t go back to the chickens or consider other animals until we buy a place further out of town with more room and more distant neighbors.
For some reason, my parents weren’t into horses. When we had the farm, we agreed to keep some friends’ Shetland pony for a little while when they moved. I rode him some, but not often enough, and he quickly went wild. As for full-size horses, I’ve been on them maybe five times in my life.
I never understood why we WEREN’T a horse family. My uncle/aunt/cousins were world champion fox-trotter breeders and trainers, and a lot of the other extended family were horse people.
Interesting parallel with: https://warontherocks.com/2016/06/sowing-the-wind-the-first-soviet-german-military-pact-and-the-origins-of-world-war-ii/
This while cokehead Zelensky & the Nazi’s (good name for a band) keeps the opposition incarcerated and parade them in handcuffs before the cameras. Recruiting teenagers/Banderajugend for the Frontline etc.
I brick you,…
You brick me,…
we both brick so easily,..