On Thursday, Chancellor Olaf Scholz promised Ukraine long-term security guarantees but crushed Kyiv’s hopes for joining NATO quickly.
Scholz told German members in parliament, “We need to take a realistic look at the situation.” He also said that the government in Kyiv had admitted that the country could not join NATO as long as the war was still going on.
Scholz said, “Because of this, I think we should focus on the top priority at the NATO summit in Vilnius in the middle of July, which is to improve Ukraine’s ability to fight.”
He said that Berlin and its G7 and EU partners were working on long-term security guarantees for Kyiv.
“Our goal is… long-term military support for Ukraine, including modern weapons from the West, and a stronger economy for Ukraine so that it can defend itself against Russian aggression,” he said.
NATO countries are fighting over what to offer Kyiv at the July 11-12 meeting of the alliance’s leaders in Vilnius.
While Kyiv and its closest allies in Eastern Europe call for real steps to bring Ukraine closer to membership, Western governments like the US and Germany are wary of any move that could bring the alliance closer to war with Russia.
