Scholz holds out prospect of further Ukraine aid at NATO summit

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has described the support provided to Ukraine with air-defence systems to date as a "major step," on the fringes of the NATO summit in Washington.

At the same time, he held out the prospect of the delivery of further aid. "In my view, this process is not complete," Scholz said on Wednesday before a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The United States, Germany and other allies had promised Ukraine five systems to defend against Russian airstrikes at the start of the NATO summit on Tuesday. Ukraine had already requested seven additional systems in April, so the demand is not yet covered.

Germany has already delivered three Patriot systems and is counting on other NATO states to follow suit. "Germany has taken a big step in encouraging others to realize that this is necessary," said Scholz.

It is safe to say: "Without Germany leading the way, this step would not have been taken now."

Scholz also emphasized that he considers the prospect for Ukraine's joining NATO, which is to be set out in a joint declaration by the 32 member states, to be sufficient.

He was certain that this would "also provide Ukraine with the degree of clarity that they need to be able to rely on," he said. "And that is why I believe it will be a great success and a sign of unity."

In the NATO declaration, which has not yet been finalized, the accession process for Ukraine is to be described as "irreversible," Scholz said.