Russian and Georgian Government Media’s Identical Coverage of Sholz’s Words About Ukraine’s NATO Accession

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On May 26, 2024, the Russian propaganda media Russia Today, Известия, РИА Новости, Sputnik Кыргызстан, as well as in the Georgian pro-government media POS TV, RUSTAVI 2, TIA.GE, PRIMETIME, resonancedaily.com, as well as Georgian-language Facebook accounts, disseminated a quote by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, in which he talk about Ukraine’s prospects of NATO integration, saying that “it is not expected in the near future. Maybe in the next 30 years.” According to the media outlets, Scholz made this statement at the “Democracy Festival” in Berlin.

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The quote by the German Chancellor on Ukraine’s NATO membership, disseminated by Russian and Georgian official media, is misleading and creates the impression that Scholz made this statement based on today’s context. In fact, Scholz recalled a meeting with Putin at the “Democracy Festival” before the war in 2022, when Putin talked about Ukraine’s aspiration to NATO, and Scholz replied that it was out of the question for the next 30 years.

On May 26, at the “Democracy Festival” in Berlin, the Chancellor of Germany met the citizens and gave a speech. Scholz recalled a meeting with Putin in 2022, before the start of the full-scale invasion. According to Scholz, during the meeting, the Russian leader tried for four hours to prove that “Ukraine and Belarus” are “parts of Russia”. As Scholz added, Lukashenka knows this and has no illusions.

The fragment of Scholz’s speech, which is actively disseminated in the Russian media, is actually about a meeting between Putin and Scholz in 2022, before the start of the war. As Sholtz noted at the “Democracy Festival”, Putin told him then that Ukraine aspires to join NATO, and in response, Sholtz told him that it was impossible in the near future, maybe even in the next 30 years.

The German publication Bild asked the government spokesman Steffen Hebeschreit for an additional comment on the mentioned topic. He noted that the situation has changed and Scholz’s statement regarding the 30-year timeframe is no longer relevant. According to him, an incomplete fragment of Sholtz’s words was published in the Russian media.

“During a meeting with citizens on Sunday, Chancellor Scholz simply “noted how absurd the alleged reasons for war that Vladimir Putin gave at the time for invading Ukraine were. Scholz then made it clear that [Ukraine’s] accession to NATO was not under consideration,” Hebeschreit told Bild.

During the meeting with the citizens, Scholz also recalled that Putin also talked about the Nazi regime in Ukraine. On this, he noted that “to say this when the president of Ukraine is a Jew… imagine how absurd and shameful this definition is to justify the war.”

Archive links: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10


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Topic: Politics
Violation: Misleading
Country: Germany
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