Paris: Scholz and Biden against NATO invitation for Ukraine
Ukraine has been striving for NATO membership for a long time. Last year, Kiev was disappointed to find that the door was not as open as expected at the summit. Since then, there have been few advances, according to the Elysee Palace - and a finger was pointed towards Berlin and Washington.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and US President Joe Biden are blocking greater progress for Ukraine towards NATO membership from France's perspective. "In the end, it is a decision of the Allies to invite Ukraine to join NATO," it was said shortly before the summit of NATO countries in Washington. However, such a decision would face strong opposition from Germany and the United States. This was also the case at the summit last year in Vilnius, where the Ukrainians had to disappointingly discover that the NATO door was not as open as they had hoped. The scenario at the summit in Washington is likely to be similar.
The NATO perspective for Ukraine has been a contentious issue within the Alliance for a long time. Countries like Germany and the US refuse to formally invite Ukraine to join in the current situation. The main reason is the fear that such a step could lead to further escalation of the Ukraine conflict.
On the other hand, there are several other Allies who argue that Russia should be clearly and explicitly shown that it cannot prevent Ukraine's NATO membership. In this logic, the hope is that an invitation to Ukraine in NATO could even lead to a faster end of the war.
A compromise could now be a declaration in the summit communiqué that the accession process of Ukraine should not be blocked or "irreversible." However, this would also go against the German understanding of accession processes. According to this, a membership candidate only advances if it fulfills reform requirements - and must reckon with setbacks if there are developments that are not in line with Western values and standards.
A fundamental agreement on Ukraine's accession to NATO had actually been reached by the NATO states in 2008. At a summit in Bucharest, it was agreed that Ukraine would become a member of NATO - but without any timeframe. To the three-day leaders' meeting, which begins on this Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected as a guest. A meeting of the so-called NATO-Ukraine Council is also scheduled for Thursday.
- Emmanuel Macron, the French President, voiced his concerns about the lack of progress in Ukraine's NATO membership, directly mentioning the roles of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and US President Joe Biden in this matter.
- Volodymyr Selenskyy, the Ukrainian President, will be attending the NATO summit in Washington, hoping for a more open discussion about Ukraine's potential membership, despite the opposition from some Allies like Germany and the US.
- Joe Biden and Olaf Scholz have maintained their stance that Ukraine's NATO membership should not be pursued at this time, citing the risk of further escalating the conflict with Russia.
- Despite the opposition from certain members, there are talks about a compromise at the Washington NATO summit, suggesting a declaration that Ukraine's accession process should not be blocked or "irreversible," while still requiring the country to meet reform requirements.
