Friedrich Merz urges associated EU membership for Ukraine

On 2026-05-21, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz proposed further discussion of an 'associated membership' for Ukraine in the EU in a letter to EU leaders. He said the arrangement would let Ukraine attend EU Council meetings without voting rights, as part of a bid to accelerate accession talks. The proposal was presented as a political initiative to bring Ukraine closer to the EU and align it more closely with EU foreign and security policy.