After Sofagate, Ursula von der Leyen is now in the chair, faced with questions about diplomatic protocol.
Diplomats say Apparently, the president of the European Commission broke the convention by having his chief of staff, Björn Seibert, respond to an official invitation from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. The revelation comes amid days of debate over the proper diplomatic procedure following last week’s so-called Sofagate scandal in Ankara, in which von der Leyen was relegated to a couch while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Council President European Charles Michel sat in the lordly armchairs.
Zelenskiy had written to von der Leyen to invite her to Kiev to attend the celebration of the 30th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence, as well as the first meeting at the summit of the “Crimean Platform”, which aims to show their support for Ukrainian sovereignty over the peninsula. invaded and annexed by Russia in 2014.
But to an extent that has caused a stir among EU diplomats, Seibert sent a reply letter with his own signature to reject the invitation and express von der Leyen’s grievances, rather than under the president’s name. of the Commission, as is the usual protocol.
Rejecting this invitation could cast doubt on von der Leyen’s commitment to show his support for Ukraine at a time when Russia is accumulating the highest number of troops on its border since 2014, the year Moscow annexed Crimea. and pro-Russian separatists seized a large amount of eastern Ukraine.
The reason for refusing the invitation, an overly busy agenda, also raised questions among diplomats and officials, as events in Kiev are set for August 23 and 24, when Brussels and the EU institutions are almost closed for summer holidays. .
“Unfortunately, the President cannot give a positive response to your invitation due to a particularly intense agenda on the days in question,” Seibert wrote in the letter, dated April 7 and seen by POLITICO. “Thank you in advance for your understanding.”
Commission chief spokesman Eric Mamer declined to comment on the letter. “We have no comment on the correspondence between the Commission and third country authorities,” he said.
The rejection of Zelenskiy’s invitation also highlights the worn-out relations and different approaches to foreign policy, between von der Leyen and the other top EU official, European Council President Michel.
Michel was first invited to the events by Zelenskiy during an official visit to Ukraine last month, where Michel went to the contact line of the occupied territories. Michel immediately pledged to do his best to attend and said he would rearrange his summer holiday plans if necessary, according to EU officials.
“It is important to show support for Ukraine, especially at this time,” said an EU official in reference to the recent build-up of Russian troops. “Zelenskiy needs us.”
Other EU officials said von der Leyen’s decision not to attend the celebration of independence was complicating efforts to schedule an EU-Ukraine Council meeting to be held in Ukraine and that Council officials expected celebrate at the same time.
Seibert’s letter dates a day after the controversy known as Sofagate unfolded in Ankara and overshadowed von der Leyen and Michel’s joint trips abroad.
Turkish officials defended the seating agreement in accordance with the protocol, which places the President of the Council higher than the President of the Commission in these circumstances. But von der Leyen and his aides have pointed to previous joint meetings with Turkey, in which von der Leyen’s predecessor, Jean-Claude Juncker, was seated in a chair identical to Erdogan and former Council President Donald Tusk.
Zelenskiy’s spokeswoman offered no immediate comment.
In his letter, Seibert wrote: “President von der Leyen has asked me to convey her best wishes for a successful summit and congratulations to you and the people of Ukraine on this important anniversary.”