Speaking in Estonia after a meeting with his Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian counterparts on May 26, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz affirmed that Germany would defend NATO partners in the Baltic region in case of attack. Referring to security guarantees for Kiev, the German leader said that there was a long way to go.
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| German Chancellor Olaf Scholz affirmed that he is ready to defend every square centimeter of NATO territory against attacks. (Source: Sputnik) |
Prime Minister Scholz affirmed: "Once again I want to make it clear here that we are ready to defend every square centimeter of NATO territory against attacks."
Speaking at a press conference in Tallinn, Mr. Scholz also emphasized: "We must protect our allies in case of a military attack. We have taken the necessary steps. The German army is established in such a way that we can protect Eastern Europe, because the protection of every ally is necessary for the security of the entire alliance and the entire European Union."
"Our Eurofighter jets are involved in protecting Estonian airspace and we have 700 soldiers providing support in Lithuania. Our navy has increased its presence in the Baltic Sea," the German chancellor detailed.
Mr. Scholz also left open the number of German soldiers that could be stationed in Lithuania as part of a commitment to deploy a brigade of 3,000 to 5,000 soldiers to protect the country.
Asked about Lithuania's expectation that such a brigade would be stationed entirely within Lithuanian territory, Mr. Scholz did not answer the question clearly.
Previously, in another development, in an interview with the German newspaper Die Welt , commenting on Ukraine's prospects of joining NATO, Prime Minister Scholz said that in the near future Kiev probably cannot become a member state of NATO because the country has not yet met a number of necessary requirements.
Chancellor Scholz said security guarantees for Kiev would also need to be discussed, but that was a long way off.
Asked whether he would theoretically support Ukraine joining NATO after the military conflict with Russia ends, the German chancellor stressed: "Everyone understands that this will not be on the agenda anytime soon." According to Scholz, one of the reasons is that "there are a number of requirements that are part of NATO's mandatory criteria that Ukraine cannot meet at the moment."
About 54% of Germans oppose the prospect of Ukraine joining NATO, while only 27% of respondents support it, the DPA news agency reported earlier this month, citing a YouGov poll.
Earlier, at the end of April, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius also affirmed that “now is not the time to decide” about Ukraine's possible future in NATO.
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