Olaf Scholz on Ukraine's NATO membership: there is the Bucharest decision from 2008, but while a war is going on, it cannot join the Alliance
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Tuesday, on the subject of granting Ukraine an invitation to join the North Atlantic Alliance, that one of the criteria for NATO membership is that the country should not have open conflicts at its borders, reports caleaeuropeana.ro.
"We will discuss what are the cooperation relations between NATO and Ukraine in the future, and we will found a joint council. That is why it is important to discuss also the question of how and what is the future perspective for countries that are looking towards NATO and want to join NATO. There is a decision taken in Bucharest that we must develop in the future, but while a war is going on, no one can join the alliance, because one of the criteria for membership is not to have open conflicts at the borders. However, a very important role will be played by the practical aspect, the support and practical help we give to Ukraine", said the German Chancellor, in a joint press conference with Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, when asked how he sees Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski's statement that he has no reason to attend the Vilnius summit if Kiev is not at least formally invited to join NATO.
He said that the relationship with Ukraine needs to develop in the future.
"It is necessary for our relationship to develop in the future. What is at the forefront at the moment is the support we give to Ukraine for defence. After the United States, Germany has the largest contribution, with everything we have been able to facilitate, 17 billion so far, plus 2.8 billion that we have mobilised in addition. When President Zelenski visited me, I said right here in this room, I made this statement, it is about the near future, it is about artillery, it is about tanks, it is about airspace defence measures, which are becoming more and more important, given Russia's drone and aircraft attacks. That's why cooperation will be deepened," Scholz said.
The German chancellor's stance also comes as Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, the host of next week's NATO summit, called on the alliance's leaders to show more courage in handling Ukraine's future membership of the North Atlantic Alliance at the Vilnius summit on 11-12 July, stressing that Moscow would view any possible caution as weakness on the part of the West.
Ukraine is pressing NATO to give Kiev a guarantee at next week's Vilnius summit that it will join the alliance as soon as the war with Russia is over or receive an invitation to join.
