Zelenskyy reacts to Merz's limited EU membership proposal for Ukraine

In a letter to EU leadership, Zelenskyy called the idea of Ukraine participating in the European Union without voting rights "unfair." The statement came in response to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s proposal for a possible intermediate format of Ukraine’s integration into the EU.

"It would be unfair for Ukraine to be present in the ‌European ⁠Union, but remain voiceless," the Ukrainian leader stressed.

The letter was addressed to European Council President António Costa, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, whose country currently holds the EU Council presidency.

Zelenskyy also noted that after a change of government in Hungary, there are now greater opportunities to advance Ukraine's EU accession talks.

"The time is right to move forward with Ukraine's membership in a full and meaningful way," the president emphasized.

The head of state thanked European partners for their support during the war and stressed that Ukraine is effectively defending all of Europe against Russian aggression.

"We are defending Europe – fully, not ​partially, and not with half-measures," Zelenskyy said. "Ukraine deserves a fair approach and equal ​rights within Europe."

As a reminder, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz had proposed granting Ukraine "associate member" status as an intermediate option between candidate status and full EU membership. The idea would allow Ukrainian representatives to participate in EU summits and meetings without voting rights.

The European Commission said it welcomes discussions on Ukraine's future membership but stressed that any new enlargement formats must be based on the merit principle of candidate countries and must not replace the full accession process.