Ukrainian President Zelenskyy says proposal of associate EU membership 'unfair' – media

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a letter to EU leaders, said a German proposal to grant Ukraine "associate" membership of the European Union was "unfair" because it would leave Kyiv without a voice inside the bloc, Reuters reported on Saturday.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has suggested allowing Ukraine to participate in EU meetings without a vote as an interim step to full membership of the bloc, which he said could ⁠help facilitate a deal to end the four-year-old war triggered by Russia’s invasion.

In response, Zelenskyy said in a letter sent late Friday to European Council President Antonio Costa, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, who holds the rotating chair of the EU Council, that following last month’s elections in Hungary, the opportunity has emerged for substantive progress on accession talks. "It would be unfair for Ukraine to be present in the European ⁠Union, but remain voiceless," Zelenskyy said in his message. "The time is right to move forward with Ukraine’s membership in a full and meaningful way."

Zelenskyy thanked European leaders for their ⁠support during the war, and said that Ukraine was acting as a bulwark against Russian aggression for the whole of the ⁠27-nation bloc.

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