German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Photo by EPA/BGNES
Germany's Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier does not see NATO membership as a plausible option for Ukraine in the near future.
"I don't see any path leading towards NATO membership", Steinmeier commented ahead of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels on Tuesday, quoted by The Wall Street Journal.
His words may serve to alleviate Russian fears of NATO expansion to the east. However, the German Foreign Minister was quick to underscore that his statement is not the official position of his government, but rather a personal opinion.