Zelenskyy rejects Merz proposal for associate EU membership

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has suggested that Ukraine should be granted an “associate member” status in the EU that would come with benefits such as participation in meetings of the European Commission and the European Council.

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola on Thursday appeared to endorse the incremental approach touted by Merz, arguing that EU candidate countries could be granted access to the “single market, customs union, the roaming area, Erasmus and Horizon” programs as steps along the way to full membership in the bloc.

In response, Zelenskyy also sent a letter to EU leaders late Friday emphasizing that Kyiv was pressing ahead quickly with the reforms needed for full EU membership while also acting as a bulwark against Russian aggression for the whole of the 27-country bloc, Reuters reported.

“We are defending ​Europe — fully, not partially, and not with half-measures,” Zelenskyy reportedly said in the letter. “It would be unfair for ​Ukraine to be present in the European Union but remain voiceless,” he said.

The letter was addressed to European Council President Antonio Costa, European Commission President Ursula von der ⁠Leyen and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, whose country currently holds the rotating presidency of the Council.

Ukraine submitted its EU membership bid days after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his all-out invasion in February 2022. Ukraine was granted official candidate status a few months later, with accession negotiations kicking off in 2024.