Too early to discuss Ukraine in NATO, German minister says
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said it’s not the right time for the NATO military alliance to decide on Ukraine’s membership.
“The door is open a crack, but this is not the time to decide that now,” Pistorius said on a talk show Thursday night, adding that the option couldn’t be seriously discussed as the war rages.
The minister said NATO must “carefully” weigh any step towards including Ukraine in the alliance.
“You have to decide with a cool head and a hot heart and not vice versa,” he said.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Friday that NATO members agreed that Ukraine should eventually join the alliance.
Speaking ahead of a meeting of the Ukraine defence contact group at the Ramstein air base in Germany, he said the main focus, however, was ensuring the country could defend itself against Russia.
Here are some of the other notable developments concerning Russia’s war in Ukraine on Friday, April 21:
Germany to discuss Patriot deployments in Poland, Slovakia
Germany wants to discuss with its allies on Friday the deployment of Patriot air defense units in Slovakia and Poland, according to a spokesperson for the German Defense Ministry.
A report by Funke media group had earlier said that Germany intended to move its Patriot air defense units out of the two countries later this year, as the Bundeswehr seeks to optimize its limited military resources.
The report said the deployment of Patriot missile defense systems in Poland would end by June, while the one in Slovakia will be phased out by the end of the year.
In January, Germany deployed the Patriot missile defense systems to Poland after a missile attack on Polish soil in November, in an effort to help secure its airspace.
Germany deployed the Patriot system to Slovakia in March 2022, shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine. Germany now plans to provide Slovakia with two Mantis air defense systems by October to bolster NATO’s eastern flank defense.
Western allies to discuss Ukraine support
Defense officials from around 50 countries will convene at the US Ramstein Air Base in Germany to discuss increased support for Ukraine on Friday.
The meeting, to be hosted by the US, follows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s request for Western allies to send more fighter jets and long-range missiles.
It will primarily focus on coordinating efforts to provide Ukraine with the necessary support, including the delivery of more weapons and ammunition.
Kyiv is largely dependent on Western countries for military equipment as it battles invading Russian forces in the eastern part of the country.
NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg is also attending the meeting.
Zelenskyy has appealed to NATO for aid in persuading some member states to supply Ukraine with advanced fighter jets, long-range rockets, and armored vehicles.
However, requests for modern planes such as the US-designed F-16 have gone unfulfilled, and Western supporters have been hesitant to provide long-range rockets over fears that they may be used to strike targets within Russia.
NATO’s Stoltenberg first Ukraine visit since invasion
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Russian warplane accidentally fires on border city Belgorod
A Russian warplane accidentally fired on the city of Belgorod, according to Moscow and regional authorities.
The city is located in western Russia, near the country’s border with Ukraine.
Belgorod regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said the incident caused an explosion that left a large crater in the center of the city and damaged buildings.
Two women were injured in the incident.
Belgorod Mayor Valentin Demidov said residents of damaged buildings would be temporarily moved to hotels.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said a Su-34 fighter jet was flying over the city when an “unplanned launch of ammunition occurred.”
Investigations are underway into the incident.
Zelenskyy decries ‘populism’ of neutral countries
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused world leaders who have adopted postures of neutrality toward Russia of “populism.”
The Ukrainian leader made the comments in a video link before a committee of Mexican lawmakers.
“There are some leaders who have not visited Ukraine once and who have not seen what the brutal Russian aggression brought and why it is important to defend lives,” Zelenskyy said.
“Simply seeking to achieve some sort of populism, they say things like Ukraine is supposedly not ready to go for peace,” he said.
Zelenskyy criticized “different companies and big multinational firms that want to make millions by trading with Russia.”
“Unfortunately, the world is full of hypocrisy,” he declared.
Russia FM seeks to boost Latin American ties
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Mexico voted in the UN General Assembly in favor of condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but it has not imposed sanctions on Moscow.
In 2022, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador criticized NATO support for Ukraine, saying that it meant, “I’ll supply the weapons, you supply the dead.” He went on to call the policy of arming Ukraine “immoral.”
“How easy it is to say, ‘Here, I’ll send you this much money for weapons,'” Lopez Obrador said. “Couldn’t the war in Ukraine have been avoided? Of course it could have.”
sdi/sms (dpa, AFP, AP, Reuters)
Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/too-early-to-discuss-ukraine-in-nato-german-minister-says/a-65391796?maca=en-rss-en-ger-1023-xml-atom