Enato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg wanted to send a “clear, united and positive message” to Ukraine from the alliance summit. However, a formal invitation to join Kiev did not materialize for the time being. In Vilnius, Lithuania, the member states of the defense alliance agreed that Ukraine would only be allowed to join NATO after the end of the Russian invasion to promise. If the conditions are met. Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gave up his opposition to Sweden’s accession.
Sandra Maischberger discussed on her talk show the NATO summit on Tuesday evening with the members of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Bundestag, Ralf Stegner (SPD) and Norbert Röttgen (CDU), as well as the commentators Wolfgang Bosbach (CDU), “Taz” journalist Ulrike Hermann and Alev Dogan, chief reporter of ” The Pioneers”.
These are “historic times in which we live,” Dogan emphasized in the introduction. Just a few years ago, French President Emmanuel Macron declared the Atlantic Alliance “brain dead”. A “break” is now taking place as more member states are admitted and gaining in relevance.
Erdogan recently linked his approval of Sweden’s admission to the resumption of EU accession negotiations with Turkey. It was a “particularly subtle form of political blackmail,” said Bosbach. Dogan contradicted the CDU politician. It was “not an attempt at blackmail”, but a “diversionary tactic”. In this way, Erdogan was able to advance talks with the USA about F-16 fighter jets. In addition, EU Council President Charles Michel said on Twitter that the EU wanted to “get going again” its relationship with Turkey.
The Turkish president has fewer reservations about NATO membership for Ukraine than he has about Sweden. Last week, after a visit from Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Erdogan emphasized that the war-torn state “clearly deserved” admission. Bosbach is reluctant to do so. “In the current situation, we should refrain from anything that could lead to an aggravation of the conflict,” he vowed, “and do everything that brings us closer to the goal of lasting peace.”
“We must avoid a world war”
The CDU politician found an ally in his SPD colleague Stegner. “We must avoid a world war,” stressed the foreign expert. It was clear from the start that neither NATO nor Germany should be drawn into the war. Sweden meets “all the essential conditions” for inclusion in the defense alliance, while Ukraine does not. Stegner was satisfied with the NATO summit. Sweden is “part of the family”. Röttgen also praised the Scandinavians’ admission. At the same time, however, he said that a “historic opportunity” had been missed with regard to Ukraine.
The Ukrainians defended “our peace with their blood,” emphasized Röttgen passionately. Nobody is talking about the country “now joining NATO”. But the state has opted for the Western community of values and wants to see a perspective. According to Röttgen, only NATO membership would have a deterrent effect on Putin after the end of the war. This chance was “denied to the suffering, fighting people and the security of Europe today”. It was “the worst diplomacy imaginable” to reject Ukraine’s accession request in 2008.
In general, Norbert Röttgen was critical of German foreign policy. The “Merkel government made mistakes – no question about it,” he clarified. And Stegner was also “demonstrably” wrong with his appeasement policy. The SPD politician stuck to his stance that “the military path ultimately does not lead to success”. Röttgen, on the other hand, appealed for more support for Ukraine. The majority of the “emphatic, responsible and reasonable” population is ready for this. “It just has to be the political leader.”
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