Ukraine’s NATO future remains distant - German Chancellor
Ukraine will not be able to join NATO anytime soon due to the position of the United States, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said at a debate with chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz, Deutsche Welle news outlet reported on Feb. 9.
The chancellor highlighted that Ukraine’s NATO membership “will not happen anytime soon” because the U.S. has rejected the proposal.
He also expressed hope for peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine following Donald Trump’s assumption of power.
"It would be very good if this war ended," he said.
Scholz reiterated his opposition to providing Ukraine with longer-range cruise missiles, adding that it is a step Germany will not support.
Merz also saw no prospects for Ukraine's swift NATO membership.
When asked whether Ukraine should join NATO, Merz stated that “they cannot do so.”
"NATO does not accept members who are now at war," Merz explained.
At the same time, the chancellor candidate called granting Ukraine EU candidate status “the right step” and noted that joining the European Union will provide “much more security” for Ukraine. However, he did not mention the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO after the war ends.
Ukraine’s NATO membership
- On Oct. 16, 2024, Ukraine’s ambassador to NATO, Nataliya Halybarenko, told Reuters that Ukraine had requested an invitation to NATO before Joe Biden left office.
- NATO Parliamentary Assembly President Gerry Connolly stated that Ukraine will receive an invitation to join NATO only after regaining sovereignty over its territories.
- On Nov. 24, Bloomberg reported that the Biden administration had considered publicly advocating for Ukraine’s official invitation to NATO but abandoned the idea after Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election.
- On Dec. 1, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that an invitation to NATO “cannot be extended to only part of Ukraine’s territory” as it would imply that occupied regions are no longer considered Ukrainian.
- On Dec. 3, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry declared that the country would not accept any “alternatives, surrogates, or substitutes” for full NATO membership.
- On Jan. 7, Trump stated that he "understands" Russia’s opposition to Ukraine’s NATO membership and blamed the Biden administration for provoking the war.
- On Jan. 15, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha emphasized that NATO membership remains “the only effective security guarantee” for Ukraine and dismissed possible alternatives.
- On Jan. 24, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko claimed that Ukraine’s rejection of NATO membership was a “key element” for ending the war.
- Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhiy Tykhyi responded, saying that “Russia has no say in Ukraine’s NATO membership.”
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