Kiev mayor not allowed into airport to welcome Merkel

Former boxing champion and mayor of the Ukrainian capital Vitali Klitschko was not able to receive German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the Kiev airport because his name was not on a list, reported dpa.

"Arrived at Boryspil airport where, according to protocol, as mayor of the capital, I should receive the chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel," Klitschko wrote on the Telegram messaging app on Sunday.

However, Klitschko said that he was not allowed into the airport.

"Of course I won't fight my way through by force," he added.

Klitschko had personally greeted Merkel during her last visit to Kiev in November 2018. She is in Ukraine to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky, two days after meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin.

There have recently been rumours that Zelensky is planning to dismiss Klitschko as Kiev's mayor. According to reports, Zelensky sees the popular mayor as competition for the presidential election in 2024.

Klitschko has been mayor of the city of 3 million since 2014.