German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stated that the West is willing to consider providing Ukraine with security guarantees "in peaceful times," as reported by European Pravda, citing Olaf Scholz's interview on CNN's Fareed Zakaria GPS program on Sunday.
The chancellor responded to the question of whether an agreement is possible in which Kyiv would accept the loss of a portion of the territories occupied by Russia in exchange for certain security guarantees from NATO or EU membership.
"We informed them [Ukrainians-ed.] that they are eligible to apply for membership in the EU. And they are working to achieve progress and implementation of the pertinent criteria. I think that they [Ukrainians-ed.] know that we are ready to organize a certain way of guaranteeing security for the country in a peaceful time that will come. But we are not there yet," stated Chancellor Scholz.
According to Scholz, Russian President Putin must realize that he must withdraw his troops. It is a prerequisite for negotiations.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported earlier this week that Britain, Germany, and France had offered Ukraine a rapprochement agreement with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). It would give Ukraine greater access to Western military equipment. However, at the same time, it would also require a resumption of negotiations with Russia.
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