Germany opposed: Scholz did not support Ukraine’s accession to NATO
24 October 2024 22:40
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has rejected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s request to invite Ukraine to join NATO before the end of the current war. Scholz made the statement in a programme on the public broadcaster ZDF, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports citing Deutsche Welle.
Scholz said that NATO had made a decision on Ukraine’s accession prospects at the summits in Vilnius and Washington. Scholz believes that “there is no need for any new decisions beyond that at the moment”.
“A country at war cannot become a NATO member. Everybody knows that, there is no disagreement with that. And NATO usually links invitations to membership quite quickly,” the German Chancellor said.
He added that Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine requires balanced actions that, on the one hand, guarantee support for Kyiv, and, on the other hand, ensure that it does not turn into a war between Moscow and NATO.
“This is something where I am very clear about my position and I will not change it,” Scholz said.
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Ukraine-NATO
Relations between Ukraine and NATO began shortly after Ukraine gained independence in 1991. In 1994, Ukraine joined the Partnership for Peace programme, which was the first step towards cooperation with the Alliance. In 1997, the Charter on a Distinctive Partnership between Ukraine and NATO was signed, which defined the main areas of cooperation.
An important milestone was reached at the 2008 NATO Bucharest Summit, where it was declared that Ukraine and Georgia would become members of the Alliance in the future, although no specific timeline was set.
After the Revolution of Dignity in 2014 and the outbreak of Russian aggression, cooperation between Ukraine and NATO intensified significantly. Ukraine was granted NATO’s Enhanced Opportunities Partner status in 2020.
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 further strengthened cooperation. NATO countries provide Ukraine with significant military, financial and humanitarian assistance. However, despite Ukraine’s aspirations for full membership in the Alliance and NATO’s continued support for Ukraine, the issue of accession remains a subject of debate and diplomatic negotiations.
At the Vilnius Summit in 2023, it was announced that Ukraine would become a member of the Alliance without MAP.
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