"You know the decisions, it is not expected in the near future. Maybe not even in the next 30 years," Scholz told German citizens at an event marking the 75th anniversary of the German constitution.
Ukraine applied for accelerated NATO membership in September 2022, following the start of Russia's special military operation. In March, NATO Military Committee chair Rob Bauer said that the matter concerning Ukraine’s membership in NATO was settled, however, the discussion on the timeline was ongoing.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that NATO's expansion to include Ukraine would create a direct national security threat to Russia and that Moscow considers the non-aligned status of Ukraine to be extremely important to put an end to the years-long conflict.