Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyj is in Germany. But when the President was to speak before Parliament, parliamentarians from both the far-right and far-left avoided being there.
No one from the newly formed left-wing movement BSW was present when Zelenskyj was to speak, and leaders from the far-right AFD stated in a statement that "we refuse to listen to a speaker in camouflage clothing".
During his speech in Parliament, Zelenskyj said that Ukraine must not be divided, and drew parallels to the Berlin Wall.
You can understand why we are fighting so hard against Russia's attempts to divide us, to divide Ukraine – why we are doing everything in our power to prevent a wall between parts of our country, he said.
In a post on X, Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson comments on the German politicians' boycott in Parliament.
"Pathetic", he writes.
Zelenskyj wrote earlier on X that he would discuss further defence assistance, expansion of Ukraine's air defence system, and joint weapons production with Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Zelenskyj is also participating in a conference in Germany, focusing on strengthening Ukraine's energy sector's resilience against Russian attacks. Several countries' governments, including Sweden's, as well as companies and organisations, are participating.
