Duda Openly Supports Ukraine's Accession to NATO, but Scholz and Macron More Cautious
At the meeting of the heads of state and government of Poland, France and Germany, President Andrzej Duda called for Ukraine’s accession to NATO, while the leaders of France and Germany preferred to talk about security guarantees.
According to Tagesschau, Polish President Andrzej Duda appealed to NATO member states to include Ukraine in the transatlantic defence alliance as soon as possible: "Ukraine is waiting for a clear signal, a clear prospect of joining".
Duda expressed hope that the upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius in mid-July will bring the "light at the end of the tunnel" that Ukraine longs for.
French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz were more cautious.
Scholz stated that they want to continue closely coordinating the issue of security guarantees for Ukraine. According to Scholz, Germany and France, as well as American allies, have repeatedly sought dialogue in order to prepare for such a step.
"We will continue to do it very intensively," he said.
It is clear that security guarantees are needed "in a very specific form", Scholz added.
The French president said that at the next meeting of the European Council, as well as at the NATO summit in Vilnius, "what the future of collective security can look like" will be discussed.
Macron and Scholz stated that they want to support Ukraine as long as it is necessary, and NATO will provide Ukraine with all the support "to which it is entitled".
Scholz emphasised that the German government is currently doing everything possible to ensure the production of ammunition in Europe, as well as to maintain and keep in working order the weapons supplied by Germany.
As reported, Ukraine seeks to become a member of the North Atlantic Alliance shortly after achieving a military victory over Russia and seeks to obtain a guarantee of this at the NATO summit in Vilnius.
Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he understands the impossibility of Ukraine joining NATO during the war. Still, he does not see the point of participating in the NATO summit in Vilnius if, as a result, Ukraine will not receive specific signals about when it can join the Alliance.