The Berlin police are preparing for a visit by the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj to Berlin in mid-May. A spokeswoman for the Berlin police said on Wednesday at the request of the German Press Agency that he wanted to come to the capital the weekend after next at the invitation of Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD). Appropriate security measures would be prepared, but there was no concrete information about the date so far in advance. The newspaper “B.Z.” had first reported on the planned visit.
The Chancellery initially did not confirm Zelensky’s visit to Berlin. Government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said about the reports on request that the Chancellor’s appointments were only announced on Friday of the previous week.
The “Tagesspiegel” reports that Zelenskyj is to land with a special flight at the military part of the BER airport, where the government terminal is also located. The B.Z. reports that Selenskyj would probably spend the night at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel on Potsdamer Platz. Because of the visit, the highest security level should apply around the square, with barriers, snipers, identity checks and explosive dogs. “As the capital city police, we have a lot of experience with such state visits, but routine should not arise,” said an officer of the “B.Z.” Zelenskyy is particularly vulnerable as Ukraine’s head of government and has rarely traveled abroad since the beginning of Russia’s war of aggression.
Selenskyj is to receive the Charlemagne Prize in Aachen on May 14th. The organizers had already announced that they were preparing for Zelenskyj’s personal participation, but that this was still open. The Charlemagne Prize of the City of Aachen has been awarded since 1950 to personalities who have made a contribution to the unity of Europe.
It would be Zelenskyj’s first visit to Germany after Russia’s attack on Ukraine in February 2022. He was last in Germany in July 2021 to visit then-Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU).
