Ukraine deserves full EU membership, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday, pointing out that his country was defending Europe by fighting off the Russian invasion.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has pitched a plan to make Kyiv an “associate member” without voting rights, for the duration of the lengthy negotiations before a complete accession, according to a letter to the bloc’s leadership seen by AFP on Thursday.
Zelenskyy, though, insisted on full EU membership for his country.
In his daily address, he said that “without Ukraine, there can be no fully-fledged European project, and Ukraine’s presence in the EU must also be complete – with full rights.”
“Ukraine is fighting for its life, for its independence, and for that Europe which has lived in peace the longest,” he added, urging the 27-member bloc to advance membership negotiations.
The associate-membership plan – first floated by Merz with EU counterparts last month – would see Ukraine attend…
