Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday rejected Germany’s proposal to grant Ukraine EU membership because it would leave Kyiv without a voice within the bloc.
“There cannot be a complete European project without Ukraine, and Ukraine’s place in the European Union must also be complete – complete and correct,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X.
“It’s important to open groups” in the discussion areas, he said. “It is important to make meaningful progress in the dialogue. It is important to work one hundred percent for security and for our people,” Zelenskyy emphasized.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has suggested that Ukraine should be he was given the status of “associate member”. in the EU which will come with benefits such as participating in the meetings of the European Commission and the European Council.
President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola on Thursday seemed supportive an incremental approach proposed by Merz, saying that EU-designated countries could be given access to the “single market, customs union, roaming area, Erasmus and Horizon programs” as steps towards full membership in the bloc.
In response, Zelenskyy also sent a letter to EU leaders late Friday stressing that Kyiv is moving forward quickly with the reforms needed for full membership of the European Union while also acting as a bulwark against Russian aggression for the entire community of 27 countries, Reuters reported.
“We defend Europe – fully, not in part, and not in half-measures,” Zelenskyy reportedly said in the letter. “It would be unfair for Ukraine to be in the European Union but remain silent,” he said.
The letter was sent to the President of the European Council Antonio Costa, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and the President of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides, whose country currently holds the rotating presidency of the Council.
Ukraine submitted its application for EU membership days after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his all-out invasion in February 2022. Ukraine was officially granted candidate status a few months later, and accession talks began in 2024.
