German Government Pushes Associate EU Membership for Ukraine

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has proposed giving Ukraine interim EU membership without voting rights.

European Union leaders are coming around to the idea of talking directly to Russia.

Under Merz’s proposals, Ukraine would take part in EU meetings, but without voting rights, and would also have non-voting “associate members” of the bloc’s powerful executive branch, the European Commission, and the European Parliament.

Under the proposal, outlined by Merz in a letter to EU chiefs Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa, the bloc's mutual assistance clause would apply to Ukraine, and it could benefit from parts of the EU's budget.