He urgently campaigned for an EU accession perspective for his country. “The European Union needs Ukraine as much as Ukraine needs the European Union.”
Kuleba is visiting Germany for four days and, among other things, is taking part in the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting on the Baltic Sea. In Berlin he met the leaders of parties and parliamentary groups as well as government members, including Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck (Greens). The visit comes just days after Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) visited Kyiv, which had already helped improve relations.
In the weeks before, Ukraine had accused Germany of hesitation in supplying arms and imposing sanctions on Russia. A planned visit by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier was canceled at short notice by the Ukrainian side.
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In the meantime, however, Germany is on the right track, emphasized Kuleba. “We see a positive dynamic. I would like to thank the governing coalition and the federal government for moving forward.” However, the right decisions must be made now, said the Ukrainian foreign minister with regard to arms deliveries.
Meeting with the CDU (from left): Jürgen Hardt, Johann Wadephul, Dmytro Kuleba, Friedrich Merz and Florian Hahn.
(Photo: dpa)
In a “Welt” interview, he complained that the Gepard anti-aircraft tanks promised by Germany were not even requested by Ukraine. “The decisive factor for the federal government seems to have been to give us something that they don’t need themselves,” he said.
Kuleba also criticized the delivery of seven German Panzerhaubitzen 2000 – heavy, modern artillery pieces – as insufficient. “At the same time that this message came, I received the message from a very small EU country that also wanted to give us seven pieces of the same system. The dimensions aren’t right, it doesn’t look good.”
A first step towards EU accession could happen in June
Kuleba called for western-style fighter jets and missile defense systems. “Let’s forget the Soviet systems, that’s over,” he said. However, he described the EU accession prospects for his country as the most important issue for his country. Public opinion is in favor on both sides, he said. “We’re having a moment where we’re making history with our own hands.”
In June, the EU Commission intends to make a recommendation as to whether Ukraine should become a candidate country. After that, the member states will decide – perhaps already at the EU summit at the end of June. However, all 27 EU countries must agree. Negotiations on an accession agreement usually take years.
Habeck said Ukraine was “on the way to Europe” at least since the pro-European protests of 2013 and 2014. In the past, the EU had repeatedly made offers that had not been fulfilled, criticized the Federal Economics and Climate Protection Minister. “This must not happen again.”
Habeck said “alibi or fake offers” had been made to other countries, leading to disappointment and real democratic setbacks there. The path to the EU must therefore be designed in such a way that Ukraine can follow it, but also follow it to the end.
Group photo with Ricarda Lang, Katharina Dröge, Britta Hasselmann and Agnieszka Brugger (from left)
(Photo: dpa)
SPD leader Lars Klingbeil also spoke out in favor of candidate status for Ukraine. “We must now quickly open up the prospects of accession for Ukraine and for other countries as well,” said the SPD leader, who met Kuleba together with the leader of the Bundestag faction, Rolf Mützenich.
The SPD’s Russia policy in recent decades is no longer an issue for Kuleba. “The pre-war history of German-Russian relations and the role of the Social Democrats in that is something that is now history,” he said. The Ukrainian foreign minister pointed out that Chancellor Olaf Scholz, a social democrat, had reversed German arms deliveries and energy policy.
“I know it’s not easy to make decisions like that,” Kuleba said. He sees the fact that the Chancellor did this with the support of his party as a sign of strength: “You are strong enough to admit that the previous policy has failed and you need a new policy.” Proximity criticized in past decades.
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