Andriy Melnyk, Ukraine’s former ambassador to Germany and Brazil, has been appointed as the country’s permanent representative to the United Nations – a move that has reopened long-standing wounds in Europe and beyond, due to his history of controversial remarks and confrontational diplomacy.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed the appointment decree on April 7, 2025. The decision is anything but routine. Melnyk, known for a style that is often combative rather than conciliatory, now returns to the global stage at one of the most sensitive diplomatic junctions of Ukraine’s wartime narrative.
During his term in Berlin, Melnyk caused a diplomatic firestorm in June 2022 when he claimed in an interview: “There is no evidence that Bandera’s forces killed hundreds of thousands of Jews. There is zero evidence.” He doubled down, asserting that “Bandera was not a mass murderer of Jews and Poles,” and framed the accusations as “a Russian narrative supported by Germany, Poland, and Israel.”
The response was swift and unequivocal. The Israeli Embassy in Berlin condemned the remarks as “a distortion of historical facts, belittling the Holocaust and an insult to those murdered by Bandera and his people.” The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry distanced itself from Melnyk, clarifying that his statements reflected a personal view.
Behind the scenes, diplomats in Europe privately described the moment as “deeply damaging” to Ukraine’s efforts to position itself as a values-based democracy.
To his credit, Melnyk later expressed regret, saying he had misjudged the emotional weight of the topic, especially for Ukraine’s closest partners.
But this wasn’t an isolated incident. In May 2022, he referred to then-German Chancellor Olaf Scholz as an “offended liver sausage”—a German idiom used to describe someone who is overly sensitive. In October that year, he lashed out at Elon Musk on X/Twitter with the words: “F*** off is my very diplomatic reply to you.”
Such comments may have resonated with Ukrainians seeking boldness during war, but they also complicated Ukraine’s diplomacy abroad.
Melnyk was removed from his ambassadorial post in July 2022. At the time, many interpreted the move as an effort by Zelensky’s administration to de-escalate mounting tensions. However, just months later, he was appointed deputy foreign minister—a promotion that surprised some and signaled Kyiv’s continued confidence in his abilities.
The former concerns have returned
In international media, some concerns have resurfaced, though this time more measured. Editorials from Nigeria’s Vanguard and commentary on AllAfrica questioned whether Melnyk’s style might undermine Ukraine’s standing at a time when alliances are fragile and international trust is vital.
Yet it is the Bandera issue that continues to cast the longest shadow. Many in Poland, Germany, and Israel remain uneasy with efforts to sanitize or revise his legacy. In 2022, Poland’s Foreign Ministry deemed Melnyk’s statements “absolutely unacceptable,” while Felix Klein, Germany’s commissioner for antisemitism, issued a public rebuke.
Melnyk’s rise, despite these ongoing concerns, is being closely watched across diplomatic circles, as Ukraine navigates a complex and evolving global landscape.