Scholz told Putin before invasion Ukraine ‘wouldn’t join NATO within 30 years’

Read also: Releasing Russian gas turbine called Putin’s bluff, Scholz says

“This (Ukraine’s entry into NATO) won’t happen in the next 30 years,” Scholz said during negotiations with Putin, the newspaper said.

Read also: German Chancellor Scholz publicly brands Russia an unreliable gas supplier

However, according to the German chancellor, Putin has “completely absurd” ideas. For example, the Russian dictator told him that Belarus and Ukraine apparently “should not be separate states.”

“NATO has never been a threat to Russia,” Scholz said.

Read also: Germany rejects possibility of peace in Ukraine on Russia’s terms — Scholz

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Aug. 20 that the Kremlin’s decision to invade Ukraine and attempt to overthrow its democratic government had been motivated by “unacceptable” threats to Russia’s security.

The minister repeated Russian propaganda claims about genocide in the Donbas and NATO posing a threat to Russia.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine