Germany Delivers Blow to Ukraine's Hope of Fast-Tracked NATO Membership

NATO foreign ministers on Thursday spoke on the topic of Ukraine joining the alliance, and Germany's official stated she doesn't believe Ukraine can become a NATO member while it's still at war with Russia.

NATO first pledged that Ukraine would eventually become part of the military bloc in 2008, but Kyiv has pursued more of a commitment since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an attack on Ukraine more than 15 months ago.

In September, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced he had formally requested an "accelerated accession" to join NATO. He again championed his country's membership during a Thursday summit in Moldova, saying Ukraine is ready to join the alliance. In making his case, Zelensky said that "when there are no security guarantees, there are only war guarantees."

However, Ukraine needs unanimous support from the current NATO member states to gain entry, and Germany's hesitancy may signal a roadblock, even though the country supports Ukraine's eventual entry into the alliance.

"NATO's open door policy remains in place, but at the same time, it is clear that we cannot talk about accepting new members [who are] in the midst of a war," German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said during the meeting of NATO ministers in Oslo, according to Reuters.

Other world leaders have pressed for fast-tracking Ukraine into the alliance. This includes Kaja Kallas, Estonia's prime minister, who said at Moldova's summit that "the only security guarantee that works [for Ukraine] . . . is NATO [membership]."

French President Emmanuel Macron also called for giving Ukraine a membership "path" when NATO members meet in July, though he stopped short of calling for an accelerated admittance.

Though Germany has indicated hesitancy about Ukraine immediately joining NATO, Berlin has become a key ally for Zelensky after some international officials accused the nation of being too reluctant in providing support during he early stages of the war. In recent months, Germany has provided Ukraine with billions of dollars worth of military aid in the form of ammunition, tanks and anti-aircraft systems.

Newsweek reached out to the ministries of foreign affairs for Ukraine and Germany via email for comment.

When asked about Baerbock's comments, Jonathan Zatlin—an associate professor of German and European history at Boston University—told Newsweek that "there are a variety of historical reasons for German politicians to avoid making bold pronouncements, especially when there's a war."

"First and most importantly, Ukraine has been a historic target of the worst of German foreign policy. Even before the Nazis, successive German governments viewed Ukraine as an area of potential exploitation, especially because it was (and is) the bread basket of Europe and domestic farmers were unable to produce enough to feed Germany," Zatlin said in an email.

Zatlin added that when Nazis occupied Soviet Ukraine during World War II, "support for ultra-nationalist, anticommunist and anti-Russian elements played a key role in the genocide against the Jews and other atrocities."

As a result, German diplomats have since become "uncomfortable to stand in front of international audiences and exercise open influence on outcomes," Zatlin said.

He continued by writing that "the instinct to avoid giving offense to Russia is deeply ingrained."

"Inherited memories of the Red Army's defeat of the Nazis and the subsequent occupation of eastern Germany still play a key role in German politics, even if those sentiments aren't directly articulated," Zatlin said. "There remains a tremendous fear of Russia, which we saw in the German government's initial hesitancies over taking sides in the war, and it wasn't simply about gas and oil."