German Chancellor Scholz Hails NATO's Decision Not to Accept Ukraine Into the Bloc as 'Correct'
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has applauded NATO's move not to admit Ukraine and Georgia into the alliance last year. "That was the correct decision, after very long negotiations within NATO about that issue", Scholz told the German TV channelZDF, in an apparent nod to the alliance's summit in June 2021. At the time, NATO endorsed Ukraine's and Georgia's right to join in principle, but refused to give a timeframe for accession, insisting that both former Soviet republics should undergo "reforms" before their membership could happen. The German chancellor also pointed out that as for Ukraine's membership in NATO, the issue "was not and is not" on the alliance's agenda. The remarks followed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky saying in an interview withReutersthat NATO should work out common security guarantees for Ukraine if the alliance is not ready to greenlight the country's membership. He claimed that Kiev&