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BERLIN, April 2 (Reuters) – Wladimir Klitschko, a Ukrainian former boxing champion whose brother is the mayor of Kyiv, heaped reward on Germany for its assist after assembly officers in Berlin in an effort to drum up extra assist for his nation.
Klitschko and his brother Vitali, additionally a former boxing star, have robust ties to Germany, having spent most of their skilled careers there. However they’ve beforehand accused Berlin of failing to do sufficient to assist Ukraine within the face of the Russian invasion.
In a video shot exterior the Bundestag and posted on his Twitter feed, Wladimir Klitschko mentioned he had been capable of see for himself throughout his two-day go to that the 2 nations had been “actually brothers and sisters figuratively now” and he would always remember Germany’s assist.
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The German authorities has made a number of coverage U-turns within the final six weeks, agreeing to ship Ukraine weapons, suspending a fuel pipeline venture with Russia that bypassed the previous Soviet state, and vowing to spice up defence spending. learn extra
Through the go to by Wladimir Klitschko, who enlisted within the Ukrainian reserve military shortly earlier than conflict broke out, German media confirmed footage of him assembly with Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the overseas, finance and financial system ministers.
“Klitschko and his delegation introduced the Ukrainian combating spirit that reaches us in numerous photographs day-after-day into the overseas ministry,” International Minister Annalena Baerbock wrote on Instagram. “For the federal government and me it’s clear: we are going to proceed to assist Ukraine with all our power.”
Klitschko’s reward contrasted with ongoing criticism of Germany from the Ukrainian ambassador to Berlin Andrij Melnyk, who on Saturday criticised it for resisting a European embargo on Russian vitality imports.
“When will the merciless actions in opposition to Ukrainian civilians be dangerous sufficient for Germany to lastly flip off conflict legal (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s cash faucet and impose an embargo for oil, fuel, coal and metallic? How lengthy will you continue to hesitate?” he mentioned in a tweet he addressed to the federal authorities.
Moscow has denied concentrating on civilians in what it calls a “particular army operation” to demilitarise and “denazify” its neighbour.
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Reporting by Sarah Marsh and Andreas Rinke
Modifying by Frances Kerry
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