Olaf Scholz, German Chancellor, said that a country in war cannot be a NATO member. He made this statement to German public broadcaster ZDF.
Scholz added, “Everyone knows this, there is no disagreement about this subject.”
Scholz’ comments are the first public comments he has made on Ukraine’s NATO ambitions since President Volodymyr Zelensky announced his five-point plan of victory to Western allies. The plan included Kyiv’s invitation for NATO membership at the top. Germany had reportedly expressed reservations about the move.
According to information obtained by The Kyiv Independent Kyiv planned to ask for NATO Membership within months, and not years.
In September 2022, Kyiv submitted a request to join, and in July of 2024, the alliance confirmed Ukraine’s “irreversible journey to full Euro-Atlantic Integration, including NATO membership”. Ukraine, however, has not yet received any definitive news regarding its future accession.
Scholz stated that NATO allies had “described a perspective” regarding Ukraine’s eventual membership in the alliance. He added, “but I don’t think there is a need for a new decision beyond that.”
Scholz rejected Zelensky’s call for an invitation to the alliance, as outlined in Zelensky’s victory plan. He said that “an invitation is usually quite quickly linked to membership.”
Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, said earlier this week that Germany had softened its stance regarding Ukraine’s NATO membership but remained “skeptical.”
Zelensky stated on October 22 that “the U.S. still has an impact (skepticism )…) We believe they are consolidating the thoughts of NATO and this impacts, for example, Hungary or Slovakia.”
According to Zelensky who has repeatedly asked partners to issue an invitation to Kyiv to join NATO, Ukraine will only join NATO after Russia‘s war is over. The president stated this in April.
Peter Pellegrini, the Slovak president, said earlier on October 24, following a meeting with Scholz in Berlin that Ukraine’s immediate membership in NATO was “not realistic.”
Pellegrini said, “We agreed with Chancellor that the issue of Ukraine’s accession today is not on the agenda and cannot be brought to the agenda.”
Pellegrini made his comments just one day after Politico reported at least seven NATO nations are reluctant to invite Ukraine to join NATO. This is according to anonymous U.S. officials and NATO diplomats.
The U.S. The U.S. Ambassador to NATO, Julianne Smith, told reporters that NATO has no immediate plans to invite Ukraine to the alliance.
In August, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin visited Tashkent to discuss with Uzbek officials the possibility of joining the EAEU. Russian President Vladimir Putin called it the “new center of a multipolar universe.”
Pellegrini said, “We agreed with Chancellor that the issue of Ukraine’s accession today is not on the agenda and cannot be brought to the agenda.”
Ruslan Muzychuk said on national television that Russian troops were attempting to establish crossings at the Oskil River in order to advance towards the city of Kupiansk, Kharkiv Oblast.
Ukraine’s military intelligence reported on October 24 that the first North Korean soldiers who will be fighting alongside Russian forces against Ukraine are now in Kursk Oblast.
Officials from the administration of U.S. president Joe Biden raised the possibility that these sanctions could be imposed during a G7 meeting of deputy finance ministers on October 22 in Washington D.C.
The bill to end daylight saving time was passed by the Ukrainian Parliament on July 16. The Ukrainians will set their clocks one hour back for the last time in October 2024. They will not return to summer time next year.
The French media La Lettre reported that Auchan, one the few French chains operating in Russia still, is in final talks to sell its Russian subsidiary.
South Korean law prohibits exporting weapons to active conflict areas, but Seoul has hinted repeatedly that this could be changed in light of the deepening of military cooperation between Russia & North Korea.
An RSF source told Reuters that the aircraft was an Il-74 transport jet used to deliver weapons, ammunition, and supplies to the city Al Fashir, Sudan, where the Sudanese Army is trying to repel RSF attacks.
Eight women and three males were injured. Oleh Simiehubov, the governor of the region, said that a 73-year old woman died from severe injuries.
The General Staff announced on October 24 that Ukrainian military, lawmakers and experts discussed creating a separate branch within Ukraine’s Armed Forces to be dedicated to cyberspace activities.
Lin Jian, a spokesperson for the Beijing Foreign Ministry, made the statement in spite of the fact that the U.S.A., Seoul and Kyiv have all confirmed their presence over the past few days.
Michael R. Turner is a long-serving Republican Party member and his comments are by far the strongest from any U.S. politician.
The Air Force reported that Ukrainian forces shot down 40 of 50 Shahed-type and unidentified drones that Russia launched overnight. The Air Force reported that seven more drones had been “lost” and two others were flying toward Russia and Belarus.
During the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, there have been numerous reports of Russian soldiers executing Ukrainian POWs. However, they have increased dramatically in the last year.
Alexander Lukashenko, the Belarusian dictator, said in an interview to BBC that he knew Putin’s character and that he would never try to convince another country to send its army to… Ukraine.
Politico reported that anonymous officials said that Belgium, Slovenia, Spain, and other countries are reluctant to invite Ukraine to join NATO.
John Kirby, the spokesperson for the U.S. National Security Council, also revealed details about U.S. intelligence assessment. Washington believes that North Korea “moved a minimum of 3000 soldiers into Eastern Russia.”
This includes 1,240 casualties that Russian forces have suffered in the last day.
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