BERLIN, May 21. /TASS/. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz proposed granting Ukraine a special status of EU "associate member" that would allow Ukrainian officials to take part in meetings of the bloc’s governing institutions but not participate in voting, DPA news agency reported, citing Merz’s letter to EU leaders.
Such a step, Merz explained, would be necessary amid the particular situation caused by hostilities in eastern Ukraine, and "significant progress" in negotiations on integration for Kiev, the news agency wrote. The special status would send Ukrainian residents "a strong political signal" and could also help facilitate the peace talks with US mediation, including if EU member states apply their mutual defense clause to Ukraine.
"This would not be a light [EU] membership version but go beyond the existing Association Agreement (signed between Ukraine and the EU in 2014 that omitted any accession promises - TASS) and accelerate the accession process," DPA quoted Merz as saying in his letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Antonio Costa, and President Nikos Christodoulides of Cyprus which holds the rotating EU Council presidency.
