Ukraine’s envoy to Berlin, Andrij Melnyk, sparked criticism after calling all Russians “enemies” in an interview on Wednesday with a German newspaper, and doubling down on his words the same day. His comments triggered accusations that the statement is “nothing short of fascism.”
“I will say it very clearly: Russia is an enemy state for us. And all Russians are enemies for Ukraine at the moment,” Melnyk told Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) in an interview published on Tuesday. He went on to say that it’s not his “concern” to “distinguish” between “good” Russians and bad ones.
The ambassador was responding to a question on why he snubbed a charity concert organized by President Frank-Walter Steinmeier that featured both Russian and Ukrainian musicians in late March. Melnyk called the event a “provocation,” adding that he cannot imagine Russians and Ukrainians “celebrating together” and “enjoying culture” as long as war is raging in his homeland.