Germany's President Cancels Trip to Kyiv for Security Concerns

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier canceled his visit to Kyiv, scheduled for Thursday, for security reasons, according to the Bild newspaper.

The newspaper reported that the visit was being coordinated a few weeks ago, but Steinmeier's office had to cancel it amid "security concerns".

The German paper said the move was met with dissatisfaction and even resentment by the Ukrainian government.

"While the federal president is canceling his visit, lots of foreign diplomats and guests want to be present in the [Ukrainian] capital right now," a spokesperson for the Kyiv government told Bild.

According to the newspaper, the Greek Foreign Minister visited Kyiv on Wednesday, while a "head of state visit" is scheduled for Thursday.

Bild also mentioned that the German Foreign Ministry, the Interior Ministry, and security agencies had recommended the German President avoid visiting Kyiv. The decision to cancel the visit was made on Tuesday.

Bild noted that in mid-April, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy refused to receive Steinmeier, who wanted to visit Kyiv.

The Kyiv government believed that at that point the German president was "too soft" on Russia. The decision was widely criticized by various German political forces.