{"id":1387417,"date":"2026-06-14T19:20:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-14T16:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uatv.ua\/?p=1387417"},"modified":"2026-06-14T18:40:56","modified_gmt":"2026-06-14T15:40:56","slug":"merz-proposes-associate-eu-membership-model-for-ukraine-ahead-of-full-accession","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uatv.ua\/en\/merz-proposes-associate-eu-membership-model-for-ukraine-ahead-of-full-accession\/","title":{"rendered":"Merz Proposes Associate EU Membership Model for Ukraine Ahead of Full Accession"},"content":{"rendered":" <p>German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has suggested creating a form of \u201cassociate membership\u201d for Ukraine within the European Union that would allow Kyiv to participate in EU institutions before becoming a full member state, <a href=\"https:\/\/uatv.ua\/en\/\">UATV English<\/a> reports.<\/p>\n   <p>Speaking in the Bundestag, Merz reaffirmed Germany\u2019s support for Ukraine and stressed that Berlin\u2019s objective remains achieving a just and lasting peace that safeguards both Ukrainian and European security interests.<\/p>\n    <blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>\u201cOur goal remains a just and durable peace for Ukraine that also takes our own security interests into account. That is why we support Ukraine, why we have supported it in the past, why we support it today, and why we will continue to support it for as long as necessary,\u201d the chancellor said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n   <p>Merz noted that the European Union has already approved a \u20ac90 billion financial package for Ukraine and that the disbursement of the funds has now been unblocked. He also highlighted ongoing efforts to increase pressure on Russia through additional sanctions.<\/p>\n    <blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>\u201cWe are taking stronger measures against Russia\u2019s shadow fleet and are already beginning work on the 21st package of sanctions,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n   <p>The German leader reiterated his long-term vision of Ukraine as a future member of the European Union.<\/p>\n    <blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>\u201cUkraine belongs to Europe. In the long term, it also belongs in the European Union,\u201d Merz stated.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n   <p>Under his proposed model, Ukraine would be integrated into the work of European institutions before full accession. According to the chancellor, Ukrainian representatives would be able to participate regularly in meetings of the European Council and sectoral councils of ministers.<\/p>\n   <p>The proposal also envisions the appointment of a Ukrainian European Commissioner who would serve as Kyiv\u2019s representative in Brussels. Initially, the commissioner would not hold a portfolio or voting rights but would participate in the work of the European Commission.<\/p>\n   <p>Similarly, Ukrainian representatives would be able to take part in the activities of the European Parliament before full membership, although without voting rights during the transitional period.<\/p>\n   <p>Merz argued that Ukraine should be incorporated into specific EU policies and institutional mechanisms as quickly as possible, provided it continues to meet accession criteria and advance reforms.<\/p>\n    <blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>\u201cWe should integrate Ukraine into the political structures of the European Union as rapidly as possible, while strictly respecting the criteria and the pace of reforms. This is what the people of Ukraine want, and it is what Europe wants. We will move forward together on this path,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n   <p>The chancellor also stressed that any sustainable peace settlement must involve all key stakeholders.<\/p>\n    <blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>\u201cA lasting peace can only be achieved through negotiations involving Ukraine, Russia, the United States, and Europe. Without that, it will not be possible,\u201d Merz said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n   <p>The proposal builds on an idea previously advanced by the German chancellor to accelerate Ukraine\u2019s integration into the European Union through an intermediate status that would allow participation in EU decision-making structures before full accession.<\/p>\n   <p>Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has welcomed Ukraine\u2019s European future but has emphasized that the country ultimately seeks full membership with all rights and responsibilities enjoyed by other EU member states.<\/p>\n   <p><strong>Read also:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/uatv.ua\/en\/u-s-senate-committee-approves-750-million-in-security-assistance-for-ukraine\/\">U.S. Senate Committee Approves $750 Million in Security Assistance for Ukraine<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has suggested creating a form of \u201cassociate membership\u201d &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":1270757,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,14,49,51,36415,36422,55,50,36572],"tags":[76,78,72926],"sources":[],"class_list":["post-1387417","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-ukraine","category-news-en","category-europe-en","category-11473-news-en","category-11473-news-en-3","category-ukraine-en","category-svit-en","category-11473-ukraine-en-news-en-5","tag-glavnoe-en","tag-homepage-en","tag-ukraine-s-allies-aid"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Merz Proposes Associate EU Membership Model for Ukraine Ahead of Full Accession - Freedom<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/uatv.ua\/en\/merz-proposes-associate-eu-membership-model-for-ukraine-ahead-of-full-accession\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Merz Proposes Associate EU Membership Model for Ukraine Ahead of Full Accession - Freedom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has suggested creating a form of \u201cassociate membership\u201d ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/uatv.ua\/en\/merz-proposes-associate-eu-membership-model-for-ukraine-ahead-of-full-accession\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Freedom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-14T16:20:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/uatv.ua\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/germany_1300x750-1-820x473.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"820\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"473\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Danylo Shportilo\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Danylo Shportilo\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/uatv.ua\/en\/merz-proposes-associate-eu-membership-model-for-ukraine-ahead-of-full-accession\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/uatv.ua\/en\/merz-proposes-associate-eu-membership-model-for-ukraine-ahead-of-full-accession\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Danylo Shportilo\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/uatv.ua\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/f4fe8d6d08deebcdee69f6671576d2d2\"},\"headline\":\"Merz Proposes Associate EU Membership Model for Ukraine Ahead of Full Accession\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-14T16:20:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/uatv.ua\/en\/merz-proposes-associate-eu-membership-model-for-ukraine-ahead-of-full-accession\/\"},\"wordCount\":536,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/uatv.ua\/en\/merz-proposes-associate-eu-membership-model-for-ukraine-ahead-of-full-accession\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/uatv.ua\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/germany_1300x750-1.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"\u0413\u043b\u0430\u0432\u043d\u043e\u0435\",\"\u041d\u0430 \u0433\u043b\u0430\u0432\u043d\u0443\u044e (\u0441\u043b\u0430\u0439\u0434\u0435\u0440)\",\"Ukraine\u2019s Allies &amp; 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