Kyiv Mayor Klitschko urges Berlin to do more to help wounded Ukrainians

BERLIN — Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko is seeking assurances from his counterpart in Berlin that Ukraine will be able to send seriously injured soldiers to Germany’s capital safe in the knowledge that their medical costs will be met.

In a letter to new Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner seen by POLITICO, Klitschko noted that some 250-500 Ukrainian troops will need treatment each month for lost limbs. “At least some of these patients could certainly be cared for in your city in view of the special expertise of the clinics in Berlin — but at present it will unfortunately not be possible to reimburse the costs in your city,” he wrote in his two-page letter.

Germany had pledged that injured Ukrainian civilians and soldiers have unbureaucratic and fast access to high-quality medical care after their arrival in Germany without having to bear any costs themselves, but private groups have to take over the organization and financing of urgent medical care in some regions, with Berlin among them. This leads to confusion about payment, Klitschko noted.

“It is not always certain for us that Germany will cover the treatment costs for our soldiers who come to Germany for treatment of the consequences of complex war injuries,” the former heavyweight boxing champion wrote. “We need … a pragmatic and secure clarification of the financing by Berlin and Germany.”

More broadly, Klitschko thanked Wegner, who only took over as mayor 13 days ago, for Berlin’s support during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and stressed the importance of its hospitals in treating Ukrainian civilians and soldiers. He mentioned the Bundeswehr Hospital, which has provided medical treatment to more than 60 Ukrainian soldiers since 2014.

Klitschko also said he would welcome steps toward twinning Kyiv with Berlin. A symbolic step, as Berlin’s twinning with Moscow — a partnership that has existed since 1991 — is currently suspended because of the war.

Wegner, from the center-right Christian Democrats, could play a key role in securing funding as Berlin’s regional government is the competent supreme state authority for the implementation of the relevant Social Code — and could at least solve the issue on short notice in the city state. Klitschko also asked him to “work toward separate financing of temporary medical care for soldiers/officials of the Ukrainian state at the federal level.”

When it came to the symbolic question of twinning cities, the letter offered a warm response to the coalition agreement from Berlin’s new regional government, which envisaged a partnership with the Ukrainian capital. Klitschko wrote Kyiv would “very much welcome an intensification of the friendly relations between the two capitals towards a town twinning.”

He ended his letter by inviting Wegner to Kyiv for talks, including on the topics of culture and reconstruction, and stated he would be very pleased if Kyiv and Berlin could use military hospitals as an example to “develop the future partnership and present it to the outside world.”