The German chancellor explained that Kiev doesn’t meet some of the criteria for membership in the US-led military bloc

Ukraine will most likely not be able to become a NATO member state in the foreseeable future as it does not meet a number of requirements for admission yet, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said. Earlier this month, the head of the US-led military bloc, Jens Stoltenberg, declared that all member states had agreed to welcome Kiev, but only if and when it vanquished Moscow’s forces.

In an interview with Germany’s Die Welt published on Monday, Scholz assessed that, for the time being, Ukraine’s Western backers should focus on helping the country “defend its land.” In the future, security guarantees for Kiev will also need to be discussed.

“But we are a long way away from there,” he added.

When asked whether he would theoretically support Ukraine’s accession to NATO after its military conflict with Russia was over, the chancellor claimed that it was “clear to everyone that this doesn’t stand on the agenda anytime soon.”

Ukraine can’t join NATO now – member state’s president

One of the reasons for that, according to Scholz, is that “there is a whole range of requirements belonging to NATO’s criteria that Ukraine can’t fulfill at present.”

Earlier this month, dpa news agency, citing a YouGov poll, reported that some 54% of Germans oppose the prospect of Ukraine joining NATO, with only 27% in favor.

Meanwhile, also this month, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told the Washington Post that “all NATO allies agree that Ukraine will become a member of the alliance.” He, however, refused to offer any timeline for this.

According to the official, the US-led military bloc is currently helping Kiev “transition from Soviet-era equipment, doctrines and standards” and become “interoperable with NATO forces.”

In April, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky claimed that most Europeans would disapprove if NATO did not extend a “well-deserved invitation” to join the alliance. The Ukrainian leadership made it clear that it expected to see progress on the issue during an upcoming NATO summit in Lithuania in July.

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The State Department wants to speed up military shipments by embracing a more flexible approach encompassing entire sales regions

The US State Department is seeking to expedite arms sales to its foreign allies and partners amid a new “age of heightened strategic competition” and soaring global tensions, according to a new ten-point plan released on Thursday.

Although each year between 2019 and 2022 the US government authorized weapons sales and training to the tune of $45.8 billion on average, “the time has come to reassess and adapt security cooperation to meet new and emerging challenges,” the State Department explained, pointing to the ongoing Ukraine conflict and tensions in the Indo-Pacific.

According to a Wall Street Journal report on Thursday, the new program comes as the State Department scrambles to rectify delays in sales to foreign militaries, caused by a “risk-averse and sluggish” system.

These issues have resulted in fears that some of America’s partners could start “shopping for arms from some of America’s adversaries, such as Russia and China,” the WSJ wrote, citing unnamed US officials.

Pentagon made $3 billion ‘error’ in Ukraine aid – Reuters

As part of its plan, the department seeks in particular to “save time on the policy approval process” by anticipating the demands of Washington’s international partners based on the prior requirements of their regional neighbors. Citing the officials, the WSJ noted that the reform intends to make the system more flexible by moving away from selling American weapons on a case-by-case basis.

Another point of the plan is to change the State Department’s approach to notifying Congress, by “prioritizing consultations on critical potential arms transfers” and sharpening policies in the field of exporting US drones abroad.

Last year, as global tensions soared amid the Ukraine conflict and the ‘Taiwan’ stand-off between Beijing and Washington, US foreign military sales to other governments skyrocketed by 49%, reaching some $205 billion, according to the State Department.

The US also emerged as the main source of weapons for Ukraine amid its conflict with Russia, having committed some $37 billion in security assistance to Kiev. In recent months, however, US media have reported that Washington was running low on several types of weapons and ammunition as the military industry was struggling to keep up with demand.

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Without Washington’s approval, Kiev’s air force could only receive lessons on language and tactics, an official has told the outlet

The US has forbidden its European allies from providing Ukrainian pilots with training on F-16 fighter jets, the New York Times has reported, citing a high-ranking official in Kiev.

Without approval from Washington, the best that Ukrainian airmen can hope for are lessons on technical language and tactical training on the ground, the outlet said on Wednesday.

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has been pressing his Western backers for fourth generation F-16 warplanes for months, arguing they are crucial for defending the country’s airspace amid a massive Russian missile campaign targeting military facilities and energy infrastructure.

The Ukrainian leader appeared to achieve limited progress during a recent European tour, with the UK and the Netherlands announcing on Tuesday that they would work on building an “international coalition” to provide Kiev “with everything from training to procuring F-16 jets.” London announced that training will begin this summer, while Zelensky’s office claimed that Belgium was also eager to help prepare Ukrainian pilots.

UK to help supply Ukraine with F-16s – Sunak

The unnamed Ukrainian official told the NYT that four nations, including the Netherlands and Norway, have “quietly signaled” that they are ready to supply Ukraine with the warplanes produced by Lockheed Martin.

F-16s contain classified technology and Washington’s allies must obtain special “releasability” permission from the Pentagon to even discuss it with outside partners such as Ukraine, a senior US Defense Department official explained to the paper.

Another American official told the NYT that the administration of US President Joe Biden is sticking to its stance of not sending its own F-16s to Kiev. Washington is said to be concerned that the expensive jets would absorb too much of the funding allocated by the US to help Kiev, and in any case the planes would not reach the battlefield in time for Ukraine’s long-expected counteroffensive.

However, the source did not rule out the possibility of the White House eventually issuing re-export licenses for the F-16s to European allies, which would enable them to supply the aircraft to Ukraine.

Moscow has repeatedly warned that deliveries of more sophisticated weapons to Ukraine by the US and its allies could cross ‘red lines’, leading to a major escalation in the hostilities. Russia argues that the provision of arms, intelligence sharing, and training to Kiev’s troops already means that Western nations are de facto parties to the conflict.

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