Ukraine's accession to NATO: Zelensky and Scholz sign joint declaration

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz have signed a joint declaration in which Berlin expresses support for Ukraine's movement toward NATO membership.

This was reported by the Office of the President.

In the document, Germany declared its support for Ukraine "on its path, as defined by the Bucharest Declaration." 

"Ukraine and Germany look forward to addressing these issues at the NATO Summit in Vilnius in July 2023," the German-Ukrainian document adds. With regard to European integration, Germany "strongly supports Ukraine in its reform efforts and in fulfilling the requirements necessary to start accession negotiations, and looks forward to the report of the European Commission as part of the enlargement package in the fall of 2023," the document says.

In addition, Germany promises to provide Ukraine with political, humanitarian, and military support in connection with Russian aggression "as long as necessary" in various formats.

Also, according to the declaration, the parties agree on the need to increase collective pressure on Russia through sanctions and the fight against sanctions circumvention, as well as to combat the negative consequences of the war in the world. Ukraine and Germany note that together with their partners they will continue to develop mechanisms for compensation for damage caused by Russian aggression, including exploring options for using frozen Russian assets. 

In addition, Germany expresses its readiness to participate in the reconstruction of Ukraine in cooperation with other countries, and notes Berlin's role in the modernization and restoration of the Ukrainian energy sector.