Security guarantees for Ukraine will be inferior to those afforded to NATO members, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Sunday. In an interview with ARD radio, Scholz said Berlin has been discussing the issue of security guarantees with its “close friends,” and the process is ongoing.
“It is clear that it will not be the same as for a member of NATO,” he stressed, referring to the principle of collective security, which applies within the alliance but not to third parties. However, he said the issue of providing some security guarantees for Kiev is “now being carefully prepared by diplomats” for when the current conflict ends.
In the interim, Scholz said the West would maintain pressure on Russia through the use of sanctions.
Ukraine had earlier signaled that it would give up its NATO ambitions and agree to remain neutral as demanded by Russia in exchange for security guarantees from the West.