Zelenskyy rebuffs Merz proposal, says Ukraine deserves full EU membership

Published on 23/05/2026 - 16:45 GMT+2

President Volodymyr Zelensky has insisted that Ukraine deserves afloat EU membership, portion German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has pitched making Kyiv an "associate member" without voting rights.

According to a missive to the bloc's leadership, Merz suggested this presumption for the duration of the lengthy negotiations earlier a implicit accession.

Zelensky pointed retired that his state was defending Europe by repelling the Russian penetration and stressed the value of its afloat EU membership.

In his regular address, Zelenskyy said that "without Ukraine, determination tin beryllium nary fully-fledged European project, and Ukraine's beingness successful the EU indispensable besides beryllium complete, with afloat rights."

"Ukraine is warring for its life, for its independence, and for that Europe which has lived successful bid the longest," helium added, urging the 27-member bloc to beforehand rank negotiations.

The 'associate-membership' plan would let Ukraine to be the bloc's summits and person a typical successful the European Commission, portion besides benefiting from parts of the EU budget, but without afloat voting rights.

Ukraine's EU rank bid was submitted conscionable days aft the Russian penetration successful 2022, and it was granted authoritative campaigner presumption a fewer months later. The accession negotiations started successful 2024; however, the analyzable process usually takes years and involves discussions connected aggregate difficult, elaborate issues, ranging from agriculture to the regularisation of law.

Negotiations betwixt the EU and Ukraine person made small headway, with advancement stalled by Hungary’s nationalist erstwhile premier minister, Viktor Orbán. However, Orbán’s removal from powerfulness by his rival, Péter Magyar, has fuelled expectations successful Kyiv that the talks could present determination ahead.

Ukraine is besides grappling with profoundly rooted corruption, with the latest lawsuit allegedly involving members of President Zelenskyy’s interior circle, according to Ukrainian prosecutors. Tackling corruption remains 1 of the EU’s cardinal conditions for Ukraine’s accession bid.