German far-right and left-wing nationalist lawmakers boycotted a parliamentary address on June 11 by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who earlier had warned that pro-Russian rhetoric posed a growing danger to EU nations.
Mr. Zelenskyy’s speech came at the start of a diplomatic whirlwind tour to shore up support for Kyiv’s battle against Russia.
In an illustration of the increasing headwind Kyiv faces to obtain backing, MPs from Germany’s far-right AfD and far-left BSW parties boycotted Mr. Zelenskyy’s address to the German Parliament.
Both parties made huge gains in Sunday’s European elections, with the AfD scoring higher than all three parties in Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition, while the BSW, a newcomer which campaigned against weapon deliveries to Ukraine, took just over six percent.
Mr. Zelenskyy cautioned that the parties’ stance posed a threat that stretched beyond Ukraine.
“It seems to me that the most important thing is that people did not choose pro-Russian populist rhetoric. But radical pro-Russian rhetoric is dangerous for your countries,” Mr. Zelenskyy warned, speaking at a press conference before his parliament address.
The co-leaders of the AfD said they “refused to listen to a speaker wearing camouflage fatigues”.
“Ukraine does not need a war president now, it needs a peace president who is ready to negotiate,” said Tino Chrupalla and Alice Weidel, adding that AfD MPs had therefore decided to leave their seats empty at the Bundestag on Tuesday.
