Germany's top diplomat: Ukraine can join NATO
Photo: German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (Getty Images)
Germany’s new government, led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, believes that Ukraine has a real chance to join both the European Union and NATO — a path it considers "irreversible."
This was stated by German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul in an interview with Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung.
Wadephul emphasized that Ukraine has the prospect of becoming a member of both the European Union and NATO.
"Within NATO, we have jointly agreed that Ukraine is on the path toward joining the defense alliance, and that path is irreversible," he said.
At the same time, the minister recalled that Germany’s new chancellor, Friedrich Merz, had said before his election that Ukraine could join NATO only after the war ends.
Ukraine’s path to NATO
It is worth noting that Ukraine took a step toward NATO membership during the full-scale war by submitting an application for accelerated accession in the fall of 2022.
Ukraine has insisted on the need for a political decision that would include a clear roadmap for joining the Alliance. However, NATO member states have not yet made such a decision.
NATO officials continue to stress that the "door remains open" for Ukraine, but that accession during wartime is not possible. Former US President Donald Trump, in particular, rejected the idea of Ukraine joining the Alliance.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also described Ukraine’s NATO membership as an unrealistic security guarantee to end the war.
