Artem Budrin17:13, 06/01/23

Paris is actively in favor of a plan for Ukraine’s entry into NATO, Berlin urges not to rush.

Opinions of France and Germany on Ukraine’s membership in NATO differ. According to Bloomberg , while Paris is pushing the idea of ​​building a plan for Kiev’s entry into the Alliance, Berlin urges not to rush.

The corresponding rhetoric of the countries was voiced by the foreign ministers at a meeting in Oslo.

France wants member countries to create a concrete path by which Ukraine can become part of a military alliance. Germany calls now to be more careful with such steps during the war.

“The desire of France is that we clearly develop a path with milestones and progress so that Ukraine can, when the time comes, join us in good security conditions. Whether there will be dates or a calendar, I’m not sure because there are still many questions to discuss “said Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna.

She also added that NATO must do “more than in 2008,” bearing in mind that an alliance agreement with Ukraine was not signed at that time.

However, this is not the direction taken by Germany. Foreign Minister Annalena Burbock told reporters that “it’s obvious that we can’t talk about new membership in the midst of a war.”

Ukraine and NATO: what is known

In September 2022, NATO received an application from Ukraine to join the Alliance under an accelerated procedure. The NATO Secretary General confirmed that NATO  came to a compromise on the issue of Ukraine’s membership.  However, he noted that such a step is possible after the victory of Ukraine over the Russian Federation.

Volodymyr Zelensky said that official Kyiv understands the fact that Ukraine will not be able to join NATO before the end of the war. At the same time, he noted that at the July summit, NATO  wants to receive security guarantees  from partner countries for the period until the country joins the Alliance.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that even before joining NATO, Ukraine will be able to receive guarantees from partner countries.

(C)UNIAN 2023