Ukraine breaks silence on Merz's proposal for special status in EU
Photo: Taras Kachka (Getty Images)
The key point in German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's letter regarding a special status for Ukraine in the EU is the emphasis on full membership and a call to open all negotiation clusters immediately, according to Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Taras Kachka and Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.
Kachka stressed that this remains Ukraine's top priority today.
"The letter contains a very clear emphasis that all the ideas outlined in it are aimed at helping Ukraine integrate faster and fully join the European Union in various formats. Therefore, the risk that this is about some kind of alternatives has been eliminated," he said.
The Deputy Prime Minister added that both the title and the content of the proposals require further discussion and coordination. He noted that this is the first proposal and that the ideas were discussed on Monday in Berlin.
Ukraine's position
"The President of Ukraine has repeatedly voiced Ukraine's position on membership. It remains unchanged. While discussions continue and different modalities that could lead to membership are being explored, they cannot replace our strategic position: full EU membership," Sybiha stressed.
He added that Ukraine approaches any initiatives emerging in various capitals based on this position.
"Some of them are public, others are not. We are aware of these ideas and are being consulted. But Ukraine's position is full membership in the EU. We are also presenting our own vision of how this can be achieved," the Foreign Minister emphasized.
Earlier, the European Commission issued a statement following Friedrich Merz's letter on "associate membership" for Ukraine. An EC spokesperson stressed that any innovative solutions regarding European integration must be based on the EU's core principles.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously said Ukraine expects to become a member of the European Union by 2027. At the same time, several European countries have described that timeline as overly optimistic.
