Merz suggests Ukraine may have to accept territorial loss on path to EU membership
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz suggested that Ukraine might have to accept that part of its territory could remain outside Kyiv’s control as part of a future peace agreement with Russia, linking such concessions to the country’s prospects for joining the European Union, Reuters reported.
"At some point, Ukraine will sign a ceasefire agreement; at some point, hopefully, a peace treaty with Russia. Then it may be that part of Ukraine’s territory is no longer Ukrainian," Merz said at the Carolus-Magnus-Gymnasium in Marsberg, a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, on Monday.
He said if President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wanted to communicate this to the Ukrainian people and gain their support, including potentially through a referendum, he should at the same time tell them that he had opened the path to Europe for them.
At the same time, Merz cautioned against overly optimistic expectations regarding rapid EU accession, noting that Ukraine cannot join the bloc during wartime and must first meet strict criteria, including on the rule of law and anti-corruption.
He said that Zelensky’s idea of joining the EU on January 1, 2027 would not work, and that even January 1, 2028 was unrealistic.
Merz also proposed interim steps, such as granting Ukraine observer status in EU institutions, which he said had received broad support among European leaders at last week’s summit in Cyprus, attended by Zelenskyy.
