Andriy Melnik, the outgoing Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, called on the German government to support a multi-country initiative aimed at banning the issuance of tourist visas to Russians for travel to EU countries. He stated this on August 22 in an interview with DW.
The ban on tourist visas is a signal to Russians
Such a ban, Melnik believes, would be a signal to Russians that if they continue to support the war unleashed by Russia, “they will not have a chance to achieve peace, they will no longer be able to enjoy a normal life and understand that something is wrong, something has what happens to travel to Europe again.”
Humanitarian visas, in particular for Putin opponents, disgraced journalists and civil society representatives, must, according to Melnik, continue to be issued.
Financial assistance and the supply of weapons must be more
Thanking Germany for the assistance provided to Ukraine so far, Andriy Melnyk further stated that he still considers this assistance insufficient.
Self-propelled howitzers PzH 2000 – among German heavy weapons deliveries to Ukraine
“We ask the German government to help us in every possible way to go beyond what the Bundeswehr is capable of equipping Ukraine with the most modern weapons, as this war can only be stopped on the battlefield,” the ambassador said in communicated. an interview with DW. Only then, added Melnik, is it possible to reason with Putin and put him in his place.
More, according to him, should be German financial assistance to Ukraine: “To survive, to maintain the efficiency of the state apparatus, we need support. But in this area Germany is not one of the countries willing to do more.” Andriy Melnik is convinced that comprehensive assistance to Ukraine serves the fundamental interests of the FRG, as only then, he said, can peace be guaranteed for the Germans themselves in the future.
Andriy Melnyk has been ambassador to Germany since January 2015. On July 9 of this year, it became known that President Volodymyr Zelensky decided to remove him, as well as the Ukrainian ambassadors to Hungary, India, Norway and the Czech Republic, from their posts. But until mid-October, Andriy Melnyk formally remains as Ukraine’s ambassador to Germany.
Source: DW
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