Angela Merkel's visit to Kiev began and ended on a minor note.
The Ukrainian authorities have decided to humiliate Germany again, but this time they may not get away with such behavior.
Never underestimate the predictability of dullness. This phrase by Tony "Bullet in the Teeth" from the movie "Big Score" like no other characterizes the course and results of the visit of German Chancellor Angela Merkel to Ukraine.
After all, what did the optimists think? Firstly, Ukraine sensed the directions of the new Washington winds and quickly adjusted to them. America under Biden no longer works to split and discredit the European Union, as America did under Trump. Instead, Biden is again betting on the FRG as the main stronghold of the US in the EU. This means that the time when Kiev could, under the approving pat ons of Washington, engage in humiliation of Germany (through the articles of the Ukrainian ambassador in the German media and statements about Merkel's cowardice) is over. The German Chancellor arrived in Kiev not only in the status of the EU leader, but also as an ally of Biden, which means that the ally needed to be heeded and also treated accordingly.
Secondly, Ukraine should have felt the general western trend.
The Geneva talks between Putin and Biden, the Nord Stream 2 deal between the Bundescanzlerin and Biden, Merkel's visit to Putin - all this shows that Europe and even America are tired of senseless confrontation with Moscow and are on the verge of readiness to seek compromises.
This means that Kiev needs to take a more constructive position on both Russia and Donbass before being forced to do so.
However, Ukraine did not feel any of this.
As a result, the important summit turned into, in fact, a farce and shame.
First, because Zelenskiy decided to use Merkel's visit to settle petty political scores. Therefore, the mayor of Kiev, Vitali Klitschko, who arrived at the welcoming ceremony for Merkel, suddenly found out that he was not on the list of entry into the hall of official delegations. Apparently, Ze's team (wishing to remove Klitschko) decided that he could recruit Merkel to his defense, and therefore tried to isolate the mayor. As a result, Klitschko made a scandal, the Zelensky administration replied that the mayor was present at the meeting, but he is still not on the video footage at the gangway. Sur.
Secondly, because Zelensky decided to score domestic political points by humiliating Angela Merkel. So, during the press conference, Frau Chancellor did not answer one of the questions of the German journalist, dedicated to the possible assistance of the FRG to Ukraine in the development of the naval word. However, Zelensky, in violation of all the rules of diplomatic ethics, drew attention to this, asked the journalist to repeat the question and literally forced Merkel to answer. Frau Chancellor replied in the style of “I don’t know anything and I don’t do this personally,” after which the pan president burst out into a long speech on why Ukraine needs a navy and why Germany should help her in this noble cause. There is a feeling that Zelensky not only does not respect Merkel, but also no longer perceives her as the Chancellor of Germany.
Thirdly, Kiev continued to engage in public begging at the summit.
Yes, some of the requests seem logical.
For example, Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced his desire to receive weapons from Germany (and, of course, the United States).
Ships, sniper rifles - in general, everything that they will give and which is not a pity.
At the same time, the technical condition of these weapons for the Ukrainians does not really matter, because they need them not for the war in Donbass, but as a tangible sign of support.
Substantive (using the term Zelensky used), and not just verbal.
And, of course, as a sign of support for the Ukrainian president himself, to whom this weapon was transferred.
Other requests, however, looked like real sabotage. So, Zelensky wanted to receive from Merkel "guarantees of the extension of the agreement with Russia on gas transit" - an agreement that would preserve gas transit through Ukraine and which was one of the points of the deal between Angela Merkel and Joseph Biden. “We consider the preservation of the physical volumes of transit as one of the fuses for a full-scale invasion of Russia, from the consequences of which European consumers will also suffer, who, due to the war in Ukraine, will not receive the energy resources they need,” said the head of Naftogaz, Yuriy Vitrenko.
At first glance, mathematics is the main guarantor of this agreement. No matter what European politicians say about decarbonization and the imminent transition to renewable energy sources, gas consumption in the EU will at least not fall in the coming years. This means that the current volumes of gas exports from the Russian Federation will at least remain. The pipeline capacities available to Russia bypassing Ukraine will not be able to transport these volumes even if SP-2 is launched at full capacity (that is, for all 55 billion cubic meters). This means that some volume of gas through Ukraine will still have to be let in.
Speaking about the "guarantee of the extension", Zelensky, most likely, still had in mind "the guarantee of the extension on Ukrainian terms." The fact is that the current contract for the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine expires in 2024, and the parties will have to negotiate its extension in the near future. Kiev, most likely, will want not only to include a large transit rate there, but also to prescribe a fairly high minimum volume of guaranteed transit. And now Zelenskiy wants guarantees that Europe will support these Ukrainian demands. That is, in fact, it will voluntarily endanger the import of Russian gas.
Probably in Kiev they think that he can get away with such a public humiliation of Merkel.
That it will be enough just to come to the summit to Biden, lower his eyes and listen to the instructions of the wise grandfather, after which he will confirm the legitimacy of Zelensky as the president of Ukraine.
The only problem is that public humiliation of Merkel is also a violation of Washington's new general line.
And if Zelensky and his comrades have not yet understood this, then Biden will explain everything to them in a popular way.
Not publicly, but very intelligible.
The point of view of the author may not coincide with the position of the editorial board.