Kiev Accuses Merkel Of Surrendering Ukrainian Interests To Russia

KIEV (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th July, 2021) German Chancellor Angela Merkel "somewhat" surrendered Ukrainian interests to Russia, Oleksiy Arestovych, the information policy counselor of the Ukrainian delegation to the Contact Group on Donbas, said on Friday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met on July 12 with Merkel to discuss the Donbas conflict, the Nord Stream 2 pipeline construction, which is opposed by Kiev, as well as reforms and anti-corruption measures.

"The visit [of Zelenskyy to Berlin] proved fruitless. That is because Merkel finally somewhat surrendered Ukrainian interests to Russia after seven years of resisting this. As far as I understand, Germans call it the protection of national interests," Arestovych said, as aired by the Ukraina 24 broadcaster.

Zelenskyy and Merkel failed to find common ground on a range of issues, from Nord Stream 2 to the implementation of the Steinmeier formula in the Donbas, the official added.

Relations between Moscow and Kiev have deteriorated in the wake of the conflict in eastern Ukraine and Crimea's reunification with Russia in 2014. Ukraine has since repeatedly accused the Russian authorities of meddling in the country's internal affairs. Moscow has denied all such claims, saying that Crimea rejoined Russia after the overwhelming majority of the peninsula's voters backed it in a referendum.