Main
News
Politics
‘It will help the peace talks.’ Merz reveals details of Ukraine’s ‘associated membership’ plan with the EU — media reports

‘It will help the peace talks.’ Merz reveals details of Ukraine’s ‘associated membership’ plan with the EU — media reports

21 May 2026, 16:30

‘It will help the peace talks.’ Merz reveals details of Ukraine’s ‘associated membership’ plan with the EU — media reports — Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Friedrich Merz

Germany is proposing to grant Ukraine a say in the European Union without waiting for full membership. Chancellor Friedrich Merz has sent a letter to EU leaders setting out the details of a proposal for ‘associated membership’ for Kyiv.

This is reported by Reuters, citing a letter from the German leader.

The agency notes that Merz is proposing that EU countries make a “political commitment” and extend the European mutual assistance clause to Ukraine. According to Berlin’s plan, this should provide Kyiv with a substantial security guarantee.

The plan also envisages the appointment of a Ukrainian associate commissioner to the European Commission and representatives to the European Parliament, albeit without voting rights.

Journalists add that the German Chancellor explicitly links this initiative to future peace talks with Russia.

“My proposal reflects the special situation of Ukraine — a country at war. It will help to facilitate the ongoing peace talks as part of a negotiated settlement of the conflict,” Merz emphasised.

At the same time, the document states that Berlin is proposing a safeguard in case reforms are rolled back. If Kyiv begins to deviate from the standards of the rule of law, a special reversal mechanism will come into effect, allowing this status to be revoked.

In the near future, the German Chancellor plans to set up a separate working group among EU leaders to agree on all the details of this initiative.

“My aim is to reach an agreement in the near future and set up a special working group to work out the details,” said Merz.

As a reminder, the European Union is considering the possibility of opening all negotiation clusters with Ukraine by the summer. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas stated that Ukraine has made significant progress on the path to European integration, and its accession to the European Union is an investment in European security.

European Union

Politics

Zelenskyy has called on NATO to step up its support for air defence and speed up the delivery of Patriot systems

During a meeting of the Ukraine–NATO Council in Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasised the need to strengthen Ukraine’s air defences and increase supplies of Patriot interceptor missiles. He also thanked partners for their support of Ukraine and for attending the Alliance meeting in the Ukrainian capital.