Ukraine's Zelenskyy dismisses German ambassador Andriy MelnykThe Ukrainian president said restationing Andriy Melnyk was a "normal" part of diplomatic practice. But it comes after Melnyk defended Ukrainian ultranationalist Stepan Bandera, angering Poland and Israel.
Ukrainian Ambassador Andriy Melnyk will be removed from his post in Berlin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a decree published on Saturday. Ukraine's envoys to the Czech Republic, India, Norway, and Hungary were also dismissed.
Zelenskyy and his aides did not provide reasons for the moves, with the president later saying decision was "a normal part of diplomatic practice."
However, the 46-year-old Melnyk has been increasingly at odds with politicians in Germany, where he openly slammed leaders over their Russia policy. Most notably, in May, he called Chancellor Olaf Scholz an "offended liver sausage" — a German term roughly equivalent to "snowflake" in English.........
........he controversial comments about the chancellor were prompted by an earlier dispute with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Melnyk criticized Steinmeier for his "web of contacts with Russia" and said that the German president saw his ties with Moscow as "fundamental — even sacred."
"No matter what happens, even the [Russian] invasion doesn't play a big role," Melnyk told the Tagesspiegel paper. The Ukrainian ambassador also called out an adviser to Scholz and the state secretary in Germany's Foreign Ministry for their ties with Russia.
A week later, Steinmeier said his plans to visit Kyiv have been rebuked by the Ukrainian leadership in a move Scholz called "irksome."............
https://www.dw.com/en/ukraines-zelenskyy-dismisses-german-ambassador-andriy-melnyk/a-62420442
