German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Thursday that there will not be a NATO invitation extended to Ukraine any time soon, despite President Volodymyr Zelensky’s calls in his Victory Plan for an immediate green light to join the Alliance.
“It is important to realize that a country at war absolutely cannot become a member of NATO,” Scholz told German television. “Everyone knows that. There is no disagreement on this subject.”
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“An invitation is normally quite quickly linked to membership,” he clarified in his television interview with ZDF. And beyond the consensus among NATO members at the previous two summits to start membership discussions for Ukraine after the war ends, “there is currently no need for any new decision,” Scholz said.
Berlin and Washington agree on that, and also about the need to keep restrictions on long-range strikes into Russia, something Zelensky has also repeatedly called to repeal, to little effect.
In an interview with Politico this week, Washington’s outgoing ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith said: “The alliance has not, to date, reached the point where it is prepared to offer membership or an invitation to Ukraine.”
In an appearance this week on Fox News, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reinforced the White House’s position that there is no need to approve the use of ATACMS missiles on targets deep within Russian territory.
ISW Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, December, 20, 2024
“The Russians have already moved their aircraft out of the range of, beyond the range of ATACMS,” Austin said when asked if denying Kyiv the use of ATACMS on Russian targets was prolonging the war. “But Ukraine has the ability to produce its own drones now and they are highly effective,” he continued. “We have seen them conduct attacks that are 400 kilometers [250 miles] beyond the border. And even further.”
On Thursday, Scholz repeated Berlin’s position that the war in Ukraine must not escalate into a direct war between Russia and NATO. So, Germany still opposes delivering the long-range Taurus missiles on Zelensky’s wish list.
The Hague issued a warning to Mongolia after it failed to arrest Putin on the war crimes with which he is charged
The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a press release on Thursday stating that Mongolia had failed to cooperate in the arrest of Russian leader Vladimir Putin during his visit to Ulaanbaatar in September. The ICC referred the matter to the Assembly of States Parties, the Court’s management oversight and legislative body.
Putin is wanted by The Hague on charges of war crimes. In March 2023, the court issued arrest warrants for him and Maria Lvova-Belova, Russian commissioner for children’s rights, on allegations of unlawful deportation and transfer of children during Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Mongolia is a signatory country to the court’s Rome Statute, which obliges member countries to detain and hand over charged individuals to international authorities.
The ICC release reads: “Today, 24 October 2024, Pre-Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court found that, by failing to arrest Mr. Putin while he was on its territory and surrender him to the Court, Mongolia has failed to comply with the Court’s request to cooperate in this regard contrary to the provisions of the Rome Statute, thereby preventing the Court from exercising its functions and powers within the meaning of Article 87(7) of the Statute. In view of the seriousness of Mongolia’s failure to cooperate with the Court, the Chamber deemed it necessary to refer the matter to the Assembly of States Parties.”
In September, rather than greeting Putin with handcuffs, Mongolia’s leadership welcomed him with an honor guard at the airport and a gala dinner at a government palace.
In a controversial trip to Kazan, the UN chief tells Putin that his invasion of Ukraine violates international law
Meanwhile, much to Kyiv’s chagrin, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres met with Putin on Thursday on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in the Russian republic of Tatarstan, during a meeting of leaders eager to build bilateral ties with Russia.
Guterres told Putin that his invasion of Ukraine violated the United Nations charter and international law, according to a transcript of their meeting, AFP reported. In his speech, the UN chief called for “a just peace.”
The Secretary-General’s spokesperson relayed that Guterres said in his remarks that, “the Russian invasion of Ukraine was in violation of the United Nations Charter and international law... He fully supports the continuation of negotiations in this regard.” He also noted the UN’s “deep appreciation” for the mediation efforts of Turkey, whose president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, also attended the meeting in Kazan.
The BRICS group was founded by Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, nations representing a combined population two and a half times the size of the European Union.
Kyiv bristled at the announcement of the UN chief's planned appearance among Putin’s allies, and on Thursday, Zelensky reminded his daily briefing audience that October 24 marked United Nations Day.
“Today, on United Nations Day, it is important that the world does not forget the goals and principles of the UN Charter and the purpose of this organization,” Zelensky said. “Even though some of its officials prefer the temptations in Kazan to the content of the UN Charter, our world is structured in such a way that the rights of nations and norms of international law matter and will continue to matter.”
Guterres also spoke about “establishing freedom of navigation in the Black Sea,” to ensure global food and energy security. A UN-brokered agreement established a grain corridor through the Black Sea for cargo ships, but Moscow withdrew from the deal in 2023.
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