Russia rejects 'German scenario' for Ukraine-NATO resolution

Miroshnik stated that any part of Ukraine joining NATO is unacceptable and could only be seen as an attempt to further escalate the conflict. He added that the previous expansion of NATO to include Eastern European countries caused the current conflict in Ukraine, and therefore, as he explained in an interview with "Izvestia," any further attempts to expand the alliance cannot be considered viable solutions to the problem.

The "German scenario" suggests that Ukraine could follow a path similar to Germany's after World War II, where only the western part of the country (FRG) joined the North Atlantic Alliance. In contrast, the eastern part (GDR) remained under Soviet influence and was part of the Warsaw Pact.

Currently, this scenario is being proposed as a potential solution for Ukraine: it could join NATO with its controlled territories, while the areas occupied by Russia would remain outside the agreement.

In July, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized that only the Ukrainian people can decide to join NATO without reclaiming the lost territories. He stated, "If they propose a German model or any other, we need to understand what they are offering, who is proposing it, and for what purpose. And then we should get the opinion of the entire society, not just mine," Zelensky stressed.

Ukraine's Western allies began seriously discussing the "German scenario" in the fall of this year, according to the "Financial Times". At that time, former NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg suggested that Kyiv could relinquish territories in exchange for NATO membership.

"If there is a will, a solution can always be found," Stoltenberg remarked. A line is needed, crossing which will define the application of Article 5, and Ukraine must control all the territory up to this border. "

However, sources from the Financial Times acknowledged that the concept of "NATO in exchange for territories" faces challenges in implementation due to Russia's opposition and the lack of clarity about whether the United States and other NATO countries are prepared for such concessions.

In June, Russian President Vladimir Putin outlined conditions for initiating peace talks with Kyiv for the first time. These included Ukraine renouncing membership in NATO and other military alliances and withdrawing Ukrainian forces from the administrative territories of the Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions, thereby acknowledging the loss of sovereignty over them.

Zelensky described these demands as another ultimatum and refused to comply with them.