Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's proposal to grant Ukraine associate membership in the European Union, calling it, among other things, "unfair".
"It would be unfair for Ukraine to be present in the European Union but to remain without voting rights. The time has come to move forward towards full and meaningful membership for Ukraine", Zelensky was quoted as saying by Reuters.
Earlier, the German chancellor sent a letter to other EU leaders and the heads of the European Commission and Council, proposing to grant Ukraine a special status of "associate member" of the community, which would allow Kiev's representatives to participate in the work of the governing institutions without voting rights. Merz presented his initiative "not as a watered-down version of EU membership" but as an extension of the existing 2014 Association Agreement, which he said would help speed up the accession process. The Chancellor also proposed integrating Ukraine into all military structures of the community and extending Article 42.7 of the Treaty on European Union, which provides for mutual assistance in the field of defense, to it.