Ukraine’s contempt for the German president this week may have been an attempt to play on these divisions.
Mr Steinmeier wanted to travel to Kyiv with Polish President Andrzej Duda and the Baltic leaders.
But at the last minute he was told that Zelenski would not meet with him and he was not welcome.
The late moment of resistance seemed to have been calculated to embarrass Mr. Steinmeier as much as possible.
But Ukraine quickly made it clear that the neglect was directed only at the German president and that Mr Scholz remained welcome in Kyiv.
Ukraine’s anger at Mr Steinmeier is real. As Angela Merkel’s foreign minister, he was the architect of her policy towards Russia.
He was a leading supporter of Nord Stream and had close personal relations with Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister.
Kyiv accuses him of a policy that left Germany dependent on Russian gas, which he said was tantamount to calming the Putin regime.
But the neglect may have been a message to Mr Scholz: it is time to choose whether to continue on Mr Steinmeier’s failed path or to fulfill his own promise of a “turning point” after the Russian invasion.
If so, many in Berlin believe it was a rare tactical mistake by Zelensky, who generally played a brilliant diplomatic hand in directing international support for Ukraine.
Before receiving resistance from Mr Steinmeier, Mr Scholz was under increasing internal pressure to follow in the footsteps of Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen and make the trip to Ukraine.
But he clearly did not want to go, and Mr. Steinmeier’s rejection gave him the perfect cover to give up the trip.
To go now, when German politicians are fighting against the “unacceptable insult to our head of state”, would be considered inappropriate.
Mr Scholz contented himself this week with describing Kyiv’s move as “confusing” and “irritating” and said there were currently “no plans” to travel to Ukraine.
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