On Kyiv and Berlin conferences

Prime Minister of Ukraine Arsenii Yatseniuk made a two-day visit to Germany lately. At a press conference following talks with Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel, the Ukrainian prime minister announced the International Conference on Support for Ukraine, scheduled to be held in Kyiv on April 28. For her part, the German chancellor announced an investment conference to be held in Berlin in early July. The Day turned to Ambassador of Ukraine to Germany Andrii MELNYK, who was directly involved in the talks, for a comment on the results of the Ukrainian prime minister’s visit and the importance for Ukraine of the two abovementioned conferences.

“The main result of this visit is that Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel personally stated (and this meeting was also attended by members of her Cabinet, including the minister of finance and economic development) that Germany would look for additional ways and opportunities to help Ukraine. It is not just about 500 million euros in loan guarantees, the agreement on which was signed in Berlin on April 1 at a meeting of the High Level Group chaired by Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Hennadii Zubko. It involves larger projects as well. Firstly, Germany is really looking now for ways to help Ukraine to restructure our debt. This is what we have to complete by the end of May. We have almost no time left. Germany understands the seriousness of this issue, and it had a lot of attention devoted to it during the prolonged talks with the federal chancellor.

“Another set of issues has had to do with increasing technical assistance through the Ministry of Economic Development and Cooperation of Germany. We agreed that almost 125 million euros would be disbursed this year, and this amount might be increased to 150 million euros, to be provided on grant basis for projects to be chosen in the next six weeks. Direct efforts to this end are starting. We expect that Federal Minister Gerd Mueller will come to Kyiv in about mid-May, or maybe even earlier, which will allow us to reach an agreement on these projects. This funding is likely to be provided for at least the next year in this or larger amount, and it will be this way in 2017 as well. Looking at the practical side of this visit, these are its most important elements.

“Of course, it was also important that the federal chancellor personally told the press after the talks that she appreciated the efforts made by our president, government, and parliament to keep going the reforms they had started.

“The talks focused on the issues related to the implementation of the Minsk Accords as well. In this context, too, we held detailed conversations in order to find ways to implement especially those provisions which look questionable. We felt that Germany stood really ready to help Ukraine to implement relevant provisions of the document, signed on February 12, and thus prevent Russia from blaming any breaches on us.”

In your opinion, what levers does Germany have at its disposal to force Russia to abide by the Minsk Accords?

“The mechanism is as follows. The chancellor continues with her personal phone diplomacy, and she informed the prime minister of Ukraine about it as well. She had a personal conversation with President Vladimir Putin concerning the entire range of issues covered by the Minsk Accords, and we were assured that these personal efforts of the chancellor and the entire Cabinet, especially the foreign ministry, would be strengthened. Moreover, it is important that the so-called supervisory mechanism, also agreed in Minsk on February 12, has begun working. Several meetings have already taken place in Berlin, and later in Paris. That is, they allow leaders to keep abreast on all matters which, unfortunately, are still not fully resolved. By the way, the list of such matters starts with the ceasefire itself, which has not become total, withdrawal of heavy weapons and other provisions. I have a feeling, believe me, that the federal chancellor knows this subject so well that she can serve as a model for some diplomats. There is a feeling of the Germans’ absolute willingness to help Ukraine to get the Minsk Accords implemented as quickly as possible.”

“WE CANNOT ALLOW RUSSIA TO MONOPOLIZE THE RIGHT TO CELEBRATE THE VICTORY OVER NAZISM”

It is known that Merkel refused to take part in the Russian military parade on May 9, but supposedly is still going to visit Moscow on May 10. In your opinion, does this send the right signal to Putin, who does not comply with the Minsk Accords and continues his aggression in Ukraine?

“We did not discuss it this time. During the recent visit of President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko, they did cover that issue as well. The federal chancellor assured us then that she had no intention to go to Moscow on May 9. As for May 10, she said that the idea was there, but no final decision had been taken. Therefore, it is too early to judge at this point. However, the chancellor told the Ukrainian side that Germany felt the historic guilt and the need to make a gesture in some way that would assert a historically-conscious approach on its part.

“This very subject was dealt with at a press conference during the talks in a broader format as well. In particular, the Ukrainian position was that we could not allow Russia to monopolize the right to celebrate the victory over Nazism. It would be totally unacceptable, for Ukraine’s sacrifices and losses were huge. At least 40 percent of the Soviet losses were suffered by residents of Ukraine at the time. Therefore, this subject was discussed during the visit from that perspective.”

You said that Germany felt the historic guilt. This is usually seen as the guilt for attacking Russia. Are we absent from this consideration, should not Germany make a gesture towards Ukraine as well?

“They have a sense of guilt, of course, for the Soviet Union’s losses. It is clear that the tradition that has been established in the past decades has Russia trying to play an almost monopolistic role, so we are working on it. This is one of the tasks of the embassy, as we are trying to even change established traditions in Berlin itself; we want to try and mark the 70th anniversary of the victory this year not like the Russians do it. That is, we will avoid the military, and sometimes even militaristic, circus, shifting the focus to the memory of the millions of fallen Ukrainian. As we are still working on it, I cannot share the details of how this will look with you.”

Is there a link between the two conferences to be held in Kyiv and Berlin respectively?

“Yes, there is, and it is a very direct one. The prime minister and the chancellor discussed it for a very long time during the talks. Here the logic is that the conference in Kyiv in late April will focus on the presentation of the reforms, the specific steps planned by the government. As for the investment conference in early July, it is said that Germany is ready to take on the role of organizer, certainly in conjunction with the Ukrainian side, and it will emphasize the investment perspective. That is, we will try to show (especially to Germany itself, but Europe and the wider world as well) that people can and should invest in Ukraine, even in a time as difficult as this. Therefore, we are beginning to prepare the Berlin part of this double conference. All economic associations that exist in Germany will be closely involved in it, and I think it will send a really good and very strong signal to all – if we manage to prepare it well. We will work on this.”