Zelensky on Merkel: I Expected More from Her

Germany could have helped more in the negotiations on the Donbass and the supply of weapons, the President of Ukraine said. President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that he expected more from German Chancellor Angela Merkel. President’s Office published the text of the interview on Tuesday, June 1. "Angela Merkel did a lot for Ukraine. It's true. And I am very grateful to her as a Ukrainian. We want more, and I expected more from her, especially in the Normandy format. We are grateful for what we have, but I know that Germany can do more. Because what they are doing for us, they are doing for themselves. Why they don’t understand this, I don’t know,” Zelensky said. He noted that the foreign policy adviser to the German Chancellor could not directly answer the question of recognizing the Russian Federation as a party to the conflict in Donbass. "They could not directly answer this question. I believe that this is a problem. I cannot be diplomatic in these matters, because the war has been going on for seven years, people are being killed. And we do not have time to constantly run-in circles," the president said. Ukraine. He also commented on the decision of the German government to reject the initiative of the leader of the German Green Party, Robert Gabek, to help Ukraine with defensive weapons. "I first met him two years ago, when I had an official visit to Germany ... I understand him, and I want him to understand me, to understand the situation in Ukraine, the situation with Russia and the fact that we directly know that the Russians and the Kremlin is not the same thing, because many Russians support Ukraine. We do not hate Russians ... And he understood me, he understood that Nord Stream 2 is just a weapon, not an economic one, but a political one, very powerful ... He understands for sure that Ukraine does not have a fleet, our shores are not protected, what lethal weapons are, that Germany has not provided us with any weapons, no military assistance since the beginning of the war. ", - said Zelensky. He added that Germany also has assault rifles, radio equipment, military equipment. "And Germany also has geopolitical weapons, and this is just the question of the European Union. If we return to NATO, this is one of the countries that has a decisive say in this direction. And the third question is Nord Stream 2, in which Germany also has the final word. Because sometimes you can do something much more, and this is in the hands of Germany, "Zelensky summed up. As reported, on the eve of Merkel, together with French President Emmanuel Macron, said that the Normandy format should work further, despite the fact that it is very difficult to make progress within its framework.