Overview
- German media report that Boris Ruge, a NATO deputy secretary general for political affairs and security policy, has been selected to lead Germany’s embassy in Kyiv, with cabinet approval described as a formality.
- The appointment is not final because Ukraine must grant agrément and Germany’s president must issue a letter of credence, which are standard steps before any ambassador takes office.
- Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Germany will reinforce the military attaché team in Kyiv and court banks and funds to finance Ukrainian defense firms or joint ventures after talks with Ukrainian official Mykhailo Fedorov.
- The Kyiv post opened after Ambassador Heiko Thoms was reassigned to Madrid in February, a rapid shift that German reports say caused irritation in Ukraine.
- Maximilian Rasch, the mission’s chargé d’affaires and head of its economic section, is slated to become a vice president at the BND, Germany’s foreign intelligence service, creating another senior vacancy in Kyiv.