"This is the only thing that [the aggressor country's president, Vladimir] Putin respects. He has already realized that assurances like the Budapest Memorandum do not work and are not taken seriously," said the diplomat.
In his opinion, Ukraine should insist on joining the Alliance, and that should happen as soon as possible.
"I believe that as soon as there is a ceasefire, as soon as hostilities stop – we must then bring Ukraine into NATO," Volker stated.
He emphasized that this is necessary to prevent any further aggression against Ukraine.
"People currently think that since the war is still ongoing, NATO membership means that NATO is fighting Russia. We need to change people's mindset and convey that, in fact, it is the opposite. You want to stop the hostilities and then bring Ukraine into NATO to prevent future wars," Volker underscored.
He did not rule out that in the future, the Alliance may need to defend Ukraine if necessary, but the main idea is to prevent that from happening.