German chancellor speaks out against immediate NATO accession of Ukraine

By Timo Kirez

GENEVA (AA) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday reiterated ahead of the NATO summit in Lithuania that Ukraine's accession to the alliance is "out of the question before an end to Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine."

The Ukrainian government has itself also stated this, Scholz said in his address in the Bundestag, Germany's parliament.

"That's why I'm campaigning for us to focus in Vilnius on what now has absolute priority: Namely, to strengthen Ukraine's actual combat capability," Scholz said.

The NATO summit in Lithuania's capital Vilnius in mid-July will focus on how to bring Ukraine closer to NATO and what security guarantees it can be given after the war ends.

The chancellor again pledged support to Ukraine for as long as it is needed. He pointed out that Germany's civilian and military aid now totaled €16.8 billion ($18.4 billion).

He also pointed out that Germany would meet NATO's defense spending target of 2% of gross domestic product "starting next year."

He said Germany would continue to focus its arms deliveries on armored combat vehicles, air defense systems, artillery, and the necessary ammunition. In this way, Germany is supplying precisely what Ukraine needs most urgently in the ongoing offensive to liberate its territories.

- Sweden's NATO bid

Scholz also spoke out in favor of Sweden's rapid accession to NATO. He was "firmly convinced that Sweden should also sit at the summit table as a new ally alongside Finland," Scholz said.

He appealed to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to clear the way for this now. He added that this had been jointly decided at the NATO summit in Madrid last year.

Finland and Sweden applied for NATO membership soon after Russia launched a war on Ukraine in February 2022.

A trilateral memorandum at a NATO summit signed among Türkiye, Finland and Sweden in June last year stipulates that the Baltic states will not provide support to the YPG/PYD, the PKK's Syrian offshoot, or to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) – the group behind the 2016 defeated coup in Türkiye.

Although Türkiye approved Finland's membership, it is waiting for Sweden to fulfill commitments under the deal.

Several foreign ministers hope Türkiye would approve Sweden's bid ahead of a NATO summit next month.

A new Swedish anti-terror law has taken effect as of June 1, which allows authorities to prosecute individuals who support terror groups.

But Erdogan made it clear that if Türkiye is expected to respond to Stockholm's expectations of accession to NATO, Sweden must also do its part on the PKK terror group ahead of the summit.

- EU asylum reforms

In his government statement, Scholz also defended European plans for asylum procedures at the EU's external borders. "This is a historic agreement because it shows that the EU can overcome its differences even on the most controversial issues," he said.

The chancellor added: "Germany will also be relieved by such a new and fair system, because until now we have been the main target for largely unmanaged internal migration within the Schengen area."

EU states had voted in favor of comprehensive reform plans in early June. Asylum applications from migrants who come from countries of origin with a recognition rate of less than 20% are to be examined at the EU's external borders within 12 weeks.

During this time, those seeking protection are to be obliged to stay in strictly controlled reception facilities. Those who have no chance of asylum are to be sent back immediately.

It is possible, however, that the EU Parliament will still push through changes. Scholz called for an agreement to be reached with the European Parliament before the European elections next year.

Germany, too, had to make compromises on the issue, he said. "But that was the right thing to do – in the interest of Europe's unity and ability to act," Scholz added.

The current system does not work, he added. In the negotiations, the German government had advocated that families with children be exempted from the so-called border procedures.

- Taiwan issue

In his speech, Scholz also demanded that China's leadership refrain from using force in the South China Sea and near Taiwan. "We firmly reject all unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the East and South China Seas by force or coercion. This is especially true for Taiwan," he said.

He had also said this to Chinese Premier Li Qiang at a meeting in Berlin. Scholz stressed that Germany and Western countries do not want to disengage from China, but they do want to reduce dependencies.

"None of us wants to hinder China's economic development," the chancellor asserted. China, he said, plays a decisive role, for example, in global food security, aid for heavily indebted states, investments in future technologies, the fight against poverty or the fight against climate change.