2023-06-12 19:51:06
NATO membership for Ukraine? Scholz expresses himself cautiously
Andrzej Duda (l), President of Poland, Emmanuel Macron (M), President of France, and Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) in the Élysée Palace
Those: dpa/Sarah Meyssonnier
Ukraine is hoping for concrete security guarantees that should provide protection following the Russian war of aggression. Chancellor Scholz is advising French President Macron and Poland’s head of state Duda. The signals from the three countries are different.
DGermany, France and Poland are discussing long-term security guarantees for Ukraine. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) met French President Emmanuel Macron and Polish President Andrzej Duda in Paris on Monday evening. Before the joint deliberations, Duda appealed: “Ukraine is waiting for a clear signal regarding a clear prospect of membership in NATO.” This is the expectation of the Ukrainian leadership and the soldiers who are defending the country attacked by Russia. He hopes that the upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius will bring the “light at the end of the tunnel” that Ukraine is longing for.
As in the past, Scholz was cautious. He said that at present the main efforts are aimed at helping Ukraine to defend itself once morest Russia. “We will continue to do this for as long as it is necessary, we are prepared for that.” Nevertheless, the intensive debate on security guarantees makes sense, said the Chancellor. “We will continue to do this very intensively and it will be finished when there is a joint result of the discussion. But one thing is clear: we need something like this, and we need it in a very concrete form.”
Macron was also more reserved than Duda. They want to talk regarding “NATO support for Ukraine, to give it all the perspectives it is entitled to.” He hopes that the upcoming NATO summit will make it possible to show a way and a clear vision for the country to develop the future of collective security.
Macron on the counteroffensive: It can take months
At the NATO summit in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius on July 11 and 12, Ukraine wants to get concrete prospects of being admitted to the defense alliance. However, important allies are slowing down. For the presumably long transition period, there are discussions regarding upgrading the existing NATO-Ukraine Commission to a new NATO-Ukraine Council. Such a joint advisory forum would be an important step towards being able to discuss key security issues with Ukraine on an equal footing.
Macron also said Ukraine’s counter-offensive began a few days ago and is expected to last several months. France has recently increased the supply of arms and ammunition and is still delivering. “There is this counter-offensive. We wish that it will be as successful as possible, in order to then trigger a negotiation phase under good conditions,” said Macron. The Russian war of aggression is already a strategic and geopolitical failure for Russia.
The tripartite meetings between Germany, France and Poland are called the “Weimar Triangle”. The discussion format was founded in August 1991 by the then Foreign Ministers Hans-Dietrich Genscher, Roland Dumas and Krzysztof Skubiszewski in Weimar, Thuringia. It initially served primarily to bring Poland and other Eastern European countries closer to the European Union and NATO. Macron emphasized that the current situation in Ukraine requires continued close cooperation between the three countries and a joint search for answers. This also contributes to the unity and determination of Europe.
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