History haunts Ukraine's undiplomatic voice in Berlin
The debate over a Ukrainian nationalist leader's role in the Holocaust has revealed how visions of the past shape European allies' relationship with Kyiv.< /p>
BERLIN — It was as if the Ukrainian ambassador to Germany was vying for the title of least diplomatic diplomat: determined to induce Berlin to provide more urgent support to his beleaguered nation, he mocked the chancellor, told a former lawmaker to "close your trap" and posted memes on Twitter comparing Germany's late arms deliveries to a snail with a bullet stuck on the back.
This is the gift that ended Andriy Melnyk's career in Berlin. Instead, it was a sticky question about the past.
Ukraine fired Mr Melnyk last weekend after an interview in which he defended a Ukrainian nationalist leader who collaborated with the Nazis, and whose supporters took part in the massacres of Jews and Poles.
The debate over Mr. Melnyk raised questions about how Germans and Ukrainians view a dark chapter in their shared history. Perhaps most importantly, it revealed how differing views on this story still shape one of Europe's most strained partnerships against Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Two weeks ago on YouTube in Germany program "Jung & Naiv", Mr. Melnyk was challenged several years ago for his decision to lay flowers at the grave of Stepan Bandera, the leader of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists. Bandera, the journalist noted, held anti-Semitic and fascist views that ultimately drove his independence fighters to collaborate with the Nazis. said Mr. Melnyk. "There is no evidence that Bandera's troops murdered hundreds of thousands of Jews," he said, contradicting an assessment shared by most historians. "These are narratives that the Russians are pushing to this day, which find support in Germany, Poland and also in Israel."
His comments sparked outrage from some of the greatest critical allies.
In Poland, where Bandera and his group are known to have massacred tens of thousands of Poles, not only a Foreign Ministry deputy has called the comments "absolutely unacceptable", but President Andrzej Duda used the commemoration of such a massacre on Monday to insist that the truth about the massacres of the war between 1942 and 1945 must be "firmly and clearly affirmed ”.
“Let this truth in fact serve as the foundation”, for new relationships, he said. It's not revenge, retaliation. There is no better proof of this than the time we have now,” he added, referring to the strong bonds the countries have forged in the face of the Russian invasion.
In Germany, where acknowledging the crimes of the Nazi past is seen as some kind of national duty, outrage quickly spread across social media. Even politicians who once supported Mr. Melnyk have distanced themselves.
But for many Ukrainians, Mr. Mel...
The debate over a Ukrainian nationalist leader's role in the Holocaust has revealed how visions of the past shape European allies' relationship with Kyiv.< /p>
BERLIN — It was as if the Ukrainian ambassador to Germany was vying for the title of least diplomatic diplomat: determined to induce Berlin to provide more urgent support to his beleaguered nation, he mocked the chancellor, told a former lawmaker to "close your trap" and posted memes on Twitter comparing Germany's late arms deliveries to a snail with a bullet stuck on the back.
This is the gift that ended Andriy Melnyk's career in Berlin. Instead, it was a sticky question about the past.
Ukraine fired Mr Melnyk last weekend after an interview in which he defended a Ukrainian nationalist leader who collaborated with the Nazis, and whose supporters took part in the massacres of Jews and Poles.
The debate over Mr. Melnyk raised questions about how Germans and Ukrainians view a dark chapter in their shared history. Perhaps most importantly, it revealed how differing views on this story still shape one of Europe's most strained partnerships against Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Two weeks ago on YouTube in Germany program "Jung & Naiv", Mr. Melnyk was challenged several years ago for his decision to lay flowers at the grave of Stepan Bandera, the leader of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists. Bandera, the journalist noted, held anti-Semitic and fascist views that ultimately drove his independence fighters to collaborate with the Nazis. said Mr. Melnyk. "There is no evidence that Bandera's troops murdered hundreds of thousands of Jews," he said, contradicting an assessment shared by most historians. "These are narratives that the Russians are pushing to this day, which find support in Germany, Poland and also in Israel."
His comments sparked outrage from some of the greatest critical allies.
In Poland, where Bandera and his group are known to have massacred tens of thousands of Poles, not only a Foreign Ministry deputy has called the comments "absolutely unacceptable", but President Andrzej Duda used the commemoration of such a massacre on Monday to insist that the truth about the massacres of the war between 1942 and 1945 must be "firmly and clearly affirmed ”.
“Let this truth in fact serve as the foundation”, for new relationships, he said. It's not revenge, retaliation. There is no better proof of this than the time we have now,” he added, referring to the strong bonds the countries have forged in the face of the Russian invasion.
In Germany, where acknowledging the crimes of the Nazi past is seen as some kind of national duty, outrage quickly spread across social media. Even politicians who once supported Mr. Melnyk have distanced themselves.
But for many Ukrainians, Mr. Mel...
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