Zelenskyy tells EU leaders "associate membership" proposal is unfair – Reuters
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has written to European Union leaders stating that a German proposal to grant Ukraine "associate" member status is "unfair", as it would deny Kyiv voting rights within the EU.
Source: a letter obtained by Reuters; European Pravda
Details: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz had proposed allowing Ukraine to attend EU meetings without voting rights as an interim step toward full EU membership.
In a letter sent late on 22 May, Zelenskyy noted in response that the removal of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán following last month's elections has created an opportunity for significant progress in accession talks.
"It would be unfair for Ukraine to be present in the European Union, but remain voiceless. The time is right to move forward with Ukraine's membership in a full and meaningful way," the president said.
Zelenskyy thanked European leaders for their support during the war and noted that Ukraine is shielding the EU as a whole from Russian aggression.
"We are defending Europe – fully, not partially, and not with half-measures. Ukraine deserves a fair approach and equal rights within Europe," he added.
The letter was addressed to European Council President António Costa, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides.
Background:
- Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has neither endorsed nor categorically rejected Friedrich Merz's idea of a new format for EU-Ukraine relations, but reiterated Kyiv's position.
- Taras Kachka, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, has stated that Ukraine does not object to the element of the German chancellor's "associate membership" proposal concerning participation in the work of EU institutions prior to full accession.
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