 |
| Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz |
Berlin - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told Russian President Vladimir Putin that Ukraine would be blocked from joining NATO for 30 years. According to Scholz, the move was to convince Moscow of the military bloc's good intentions.
Over the weekend, the German leader revealed some details of his talks with Putin before Russia began its military operation in Ukraine. He now believes Russia has been trying to “conquer its neighbors” all along. "NATO has never been a threat to Russia," Scholz told Putin.
The chancellor did not specify which conversation he was referring to, but Scholz met Putin in Moscow in mid-February. Speaking to reporters this weekend during open-doors day at the chancellery, Scholz also denied NATO had neglected Russia's security interests.
When the two leaders spoke about the prospect of Ukraine joining NATO, Scholz assured Putin that, "That will not happen in the next 30 years," said the German chancellor. Scholz also said he would not abandon dialogue with Russia but took a tougher tone when assessing Moscow's motives.
He specifically accused Putin of starting the conflict for "absolutely absurd" reasons. He also dismissed the idea of drawing a fixed line of security in Europe. "Putin actually had the idea of swiping a marker across the European landscape and then saying: 'That's mine and that's yours', It just doesn't work that way." Scholz also said dialogue should be used against Moscow. "Giving up is not a sensible strategy," he said. He added, “One has to be clear and not allow oneself to be bullied.”
Germany condemned Moscow's operations in Ukraine and expressed solidarity with Kiev. Germany joined Western sanctions against Russia and supplied Ukrainian forces with a large range of weapons, including portable anti-tank missiles and self-propelled howitzers.
Domestically, however, Scholz has faced criticism for not doing enough to help Ukraine, from both his fellow coalition members, including Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, as well as Ukraine's former ambassador to Germany Andrey Melnik. Melnik even called Scholz “offended by liverwurst” for his refusal to visit Kiev in May.