Zelensky calls Germany’s associate EU membership plan ‘unfair’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told EU leaders in a letter sent late on Friday that 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, according to Reuters, which reviewed the message.thestar+1

"It would be unfair for Ukraine to be present in the European Union, but remain voiceless," Zelensky wrote. "The time is right to move forward with Ukraine's membership in a full and meaningful way."investing+1

Zelensky's Case for Full Membership

The letter was addressed to European Council President António Costa, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, who holds the rotating chair of the EU Council. Zelensky thanked European leaders for their wartime support and argued Ukraine was acting as a bulwark against Russian aggression for the entire 27-nation bloc.thestar

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

Zelensky also noted that the removal of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán — a staunch opponent of Ukraine's EU membership — following elections last month created new opportunity for substantive progress on accession talks.thestar

What Merz Proposed

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz outlined the associate membership concept in a letter to the same EU leaders on May 18, first reported by the Associated Press on May 22. Under the plan, Ukraine would participate in EU summits and ministerial meetings without voting rights, send non-voting representatives to the European Commission and European Parliament, and gain access to the bloc's mutual defence clause under Article 42.7 of the EU treaties.abcnews+2

Merz insisted the arrangement "would not be membership light" and would "go far beyond" the existing Association Agreement governing EU-Ukraine relations. He also proposed a "snap-back mechanism" that could revoke the status if Ukraine backslides on rule-of-law standards.euronews+2

A Divided Europe

The proposal has drawn mixed reactions across Europe. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico rejected it outright, while the European Commission said the issue should be discussed at the European Council level and that any solution must respect the "merit-based" accession process. Ireland's foreign minister warned that nothing in EU treaties allows for "associate membership."dailymotion+3

Critics in Kyiv have argued the plan would effectively decouple Ukraine from Moldova on the accession path, leaving Ukraine behind other candidate countries while offering the EU everything it wants — particularly security alignment — without granting real institutional influence in return.eurointegration