In a recent interview with German media, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reaffirmed NATO's longstanding position that Ukraine won't be joining the mutual defense pact anytime soon.
When asked about whether or not he would support letting Ukraine join the alliance after the conflict with Russia is concluded, Scholz told journalists that "we are a long way away from there."
Noting that it was "clear to everyone that this doesn't stand on the agenda anytime soon," the German chancellor pointed out that besides NATO member states agreeing that Ukraine should be allowed in at some point, "there is a whole range of requirements belonging to NATO's criteria that Ukraine can't fulfill at present."
While NATO has said it will not refuse any state entry, it does have certain standards for its members. In the past, Ukraine has been refused entry by both NATO and the European Union due to its problems with corruption, transparency, and individual liberties, as well as its topsy-turvy political system, which is presently dominated by radical nationalists as a consequence of the 2014 coup d'etat.
The US backed that coup, which ousted President Vyktor Yanukovych for choosing a Russian association deal over an EU one that would have required a neoliberal-inspired overhaul of Ukrainian finances.
Earlier this month, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters that all 31 member states had recently agreed to invite Kiev to join them at the end of the present conflict. However, Hungarian President Viktor Orban later disputed Stoltenberg’s claim of unanimity, which is required for a new member state to be admitted.
In the past, Ukrainian membership in NATO was also opposed on the grounds that it would further destabilize relations with Moscow, which has long seen Kiev's turn westward as a security threat. In the months prior to the launching of the special military operation in Ukraine in February 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin made this point clear, drawing a red line at Ukraine becoming a base for NATO weapons.
At its closest point, Ukrainian territory is only about 270 miles away from the Russian capital - a distance that NATO missiles could close in a matter of minutes.