Ukrainian Ambassador Refuses to Apologise for Calling German Chancellor 'Insulted Liverwurst'

The Ambassador's controversial statement referred to the Chancellor's refusal to visit Kiev after Ukraine refused to invite German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

Ukrainian Ambassador in Germany Andriy Melnyk has stated in an interview with Deutschlandfunk that he was not planning to apologise to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for accusing him of " playing an offended liverwurst sausage" – a German expression describing a person getting offended over "nothing".

Melnyk made the undiplomatic jab in the wake of Scholz turning down an offer to visit Kiev. The chancellor cited Ukraine's refusal to receive German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier over his previous pro-Russian views as the reason why he was not ready to visit Kiev. The two countries have since resolved the issue, but Melnyk believes that apologies were not due.

"It's not about apologising - it's about making the right policy these days", Melnyk said.

The Ukrainian ambassador argued, throughout the interview, that it were not his comments about Scholz that should be in the limelight, but Germany's "fairy tales" about helping Ukraine with weapons. Melnyk insisted that despite promising to send some to Ukraine, Berlin had done little to fulfil these promises. The diplomat also noted that countries like the US, UK and even "little Estonia" delivered more weapons to Ukraine than Germany.

This is not the first time Melnyk's comments raise eyebrows in Germany – in January this year he tried to squeeze heavy weapons supplies from Germany on grounds that it had "eternal historical responsibility to Ukraine for Nazi tyranny". Last year he went as far as to claim that Ukraine will obtain nukes if it's not ascended into NATO. He also faced calls from German lawmakers to be expelled over his controversial comments.

Russia repeatedly cautioned Western countries against sending weapons to Ukraine, arguing that it perpetuates the conflict and undermines the negotiations between Moscow and Kiev aimed at ending the special operation early. Moscow accused the Western nations of being ready to fight Russia "until the last Ukrainian standing".

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered to launch the special military operation on 24 February responding to a request from assistance from the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR). He argued that Russia was left with no other choice and was "forced" to respond in order to end the suffering of the people of Donbass.

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