An official visit of German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday night to Kyiv and her meeting with President Petro Poroshenko and Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk against the background of the continuing war with pro-Russian terrorists in the East of Ukraine will be a clear signal of support.
German publication Der Spiegel wrote on Wednesday.
“Merkel, of course, is aware of the symbolism of her visit to Ukraine and is not against that Kyiv took the opportunity to once again demonstrate to Russian President Vladimir Putin, which side Germany and the European Union have taken in the conflict,” Zerkalo Nedeli quotes the publication.
Merkel is no longer interested whether her step offends Moscow, as Putin did not think about the reaction of Europe, making provocative statements in Crimea last week, the publication notes.
At the same time, according to Der Spiegel, the German Chancellor does not want that the value of her visit was abused. According to the German publication, while in Kyiv, she is going to not only express her support for Ukraine in the fight against terrorism, but also to try to “persuade President Poroshenko to an agreement on peace.” “So far, all her attempts on bringing about a ceasefire or establishing control on the Ukrainian-Russian border were to no avail. Therefore, Merkel’s personal visit gives rise to new hopes for diplomacy, and fears that it might fail,” the publication writes.
To remind, this Saturday, August 23, Angela Merkel will arrive in Kyiv for the first time on an official visit. Earlier, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko informed Merkel about the alarming situation in Donbas.