Scholz on prospects of Ukraine's accession to NATO: country at war cannot join

Olaf Scholz addressed the issue on Thursday at a talk show on ZDF, Ukrinform reports.

"We made a decision in Washington and in Vilnius, outlining the prospects. But I believe that currently there is no need for a new decision besides the one that already exists," he said.

According to Scholz, a country that is in a state of war definitely cannot become a member of NATO, "and everyone agrees with that." Currently, he explained, there are discussions about "post-war security guarantees".

Russia's violation of international rules requires special actions, the chancellor emphasized. He sees his task as, on the one hand, sustaining Ukraine's ability to defend itself, and on the other, preventing the war from escalating into a larger-scale conflict, into a war between Russia and NATO.

"This is my responsibility and this is something I clearly understand. And I will not change my position, I will not allow myself to be swayed," said Scholz.

In this context, he repeated that he does not agree to handing Ukraine Taurus cruise missiles and other weapons that he believes could contribute to escalation.

"My opinion is unequivocal: I think it would be wrong," said the German leader. Scholz added that he is "very skeptical" of the discussions surrounding the permission for Ukraine to hit targets deep inside Russia with Western weapons.

At the same time, Scholz disagreed that Germany does not do enough to help Ukraine compared to other countries. He repeated that Germany provides more support than the rest of the European countries combined. The politician also stated that he promoted the allocation of a loan to Kyiv in the amount of $50 billion, which will be repaid at the expense of profits derived from frozen Russian assets.

According to the head of the German government, the moment has come, including on the battlefield, when it is necessary to look at how to end the war and create prospects for a just peace for Ukraine as soon as possible, not a peace dictated by Russia. At the same time, he said Kyiv's main partners agree that no decisions regarding the future of Ukraine will be made behind the nation’s back. Scholz also expressed hope that Russia would take part in a second peace summit.

One of the outcomes of Russia's aggressive war, the chancellor added, is that Ukraine has become a strong nation.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, the latest poll showed the majority of Ukrainians would support the initiatives to join the EU and NATO if a referendum were to be held in the short term.