“Now it is important to ensure that Ukraine does not run out of weapons”: Scholz refuses to change non-providing NATO invitation for Ukraine

The Chancellor of Germany, Olaf Scholz, reiterated that there is currently "no need" to decide on allowing Ukraine to join the North Atlantic Alliance, particularly regarding extending an invitation.

According to Ukrinform, the head of the German government announced this at a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Berlin on November 4.

As Scholz emphasized, he does not plan to change his position regarding Ukraine in NATO while the war continues on its territory.

"We made decisions in Vilnius and Washington that correspond well to the current situation. I think there is no need for new decisions in this regard at the moment because the situation has not changed since we made those decisions," the German chancellor said.

At the same time, the head of the German government assured that Berlin would remain one of the largest suppliers of military aid to the Ukrainian Defense Forces.

Scholz emphasized that now Ukraine's partners should focus on ensuring that the country has enough weapons to continue fighting against the Russian occupiers' invasion. This is especially relevant when Russia involves North Korean troops in the war against Ukraine.

The chancellor emphasized that "now it is important to ensure that Ukraine does not run out of weapons."

He noted that Germany not only promises but also transfers aid. If others do the same, things will be much better.

Scholz assured that Germany will remain one of the leaders and the largest providers of aid because it is currently the second largest provider in the world after the USA and the first in Europe.

The chancellor also reminded that the G7 countries had decided to allocate a loan to Kyiv in the amount of 50 billion dollars at the expense of profits from frozen Russian assets and noted that Ukraine could use them to purchase new weapons.

Scholz called the decision to allocate this money a solid signal to Putin that he would not be able to win this war.

The German leader also said that NATO should not ignore Russia's behavior and transfer its economy to military lines.

"We will protect every centimeter of the common territory," he emphasized.

For reference:

In 2023, a summit of NATO countries was held in Vilnius on July 11 and 12, one of the main topics of which was Ukraine. In the final communiqué of the summit, published on the Alliance's website, the heads of state and government of the North Atlantic Alliance recognized Ukraine's progress on the path of Euro-Atlantic integration. They confirmed

The 75th NATO anniversary summit was held in Washington, the capital of the United States of America, from July 9 to 11. At this summit, the leaders of the allied countries made several decisions concerning Ukraine. The joint declaration based on the summit results first determined that Ukraine is on the "irreversible path" to membership in the Alliance.

The Biden administration has stated that there is currently no agreement among NATO members to invite Ukraine. The talks are ongoing. Meanwhile, the United States is pushing for other partners to demonstrate the same level of urgency and contribution in supporting Ukraine as they do.

On Wednesday, October 16, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky presented his Victory Plan, which consists of five points and three secret annexes, in the Verkhovna Rada. The first point of the plan is to invite Ukraine to NATO now.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that Ukraine will eventually become the Alliance's 33rd or 34th member.