Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico rejected a proposal by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to grant Ukraine associate European Union membership status while its full accession process continues.Speaking on Thursday, May 21, Fico said there is currently no political atmosphere inside the EU for such arrangements.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.“Either we accept someone, or we don’t,” Fico said, according to Czech outlet Denník N.“Today there is no atmosphere in the European Union to take steps of that character,” he added.Fico argued that other candidate countries, including Montenegro, Albania and Serbia, also have the right to join the bloc.His comments came after Merz proposed granting Ukraine a form of associate EU membership without voting rights during the lengthy accession process.According to a letter seen by AFP, the German chancellor suggested allowing Ukraine to participate in EU summits, appoint representatives to European institutions and gain access to parts of the EU budget before full membership.Under the proposal, Ukraine would attend European Council meetings but would not have voting rights.Merz also suggested Kyiv could receive a representative within the European Commission and non-voting members in the European Parliament.Merz says Ukraine needs faster political integrationMerz argued that Ukraine’s full accession process will likely take years because of political and procedural obstacles inside the EU.“It is obvious that we will not be able to complete the accession process shortly, given the countless hurdles as well as the political complexities of ratification processes,” Merz wrote in the letter addressed to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa.