Zelenskiy: Proposal of associate EU membership ‘unfair’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a letter to EU leaders that a German proposal ​to grant Ukraine “associate” membership of the European Union was “unfair” ‌because it would leave Kyiv without a voice inside the bloc.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has suggested allowing Ukraine to participate in EU meetings without a vote as an interim step to full ​membership of the bloc, which he said could ⁠help facilitate a deal to end the four-year-old war triggered ​by Russia’s attack.

In response, Zelenskiy said in his letter, sent ​late on Friday and reviewed by Reuters, that the removal of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban – a staunch opponent of Ukraine’s EU membership – following elections ​last month created the opportunity for substantive progress on ​accession talks.

“It would be unfair for Ukraine to be present in the ‌European ⁠Union, but remain voiceless,” Zelenskiy said in his message. “The time is right to move forward with Ukraine’s membership in a full and meaningful way.”

The letter was addressed to European Council ​President Antonio Costa, ​European Commission ⁠President Ursula von der Leyen and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, who holds the rotating chair ​of the EU Council.

Zelenskiy thanked European leaders for ​their ⁠support during the war, and said that Ukraine was acting as a bulwark against Russian aggression for the whole of the ⁠27-nation ​bloc.

“We are defending Europe – fully, not ​partially, and not with half-measures,” he said. “Ukraine deserves a fair approach and equal ​rights within Europe.”

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المصدر: Egyptian Gazette