BRUSSELS – In a new proposal shared with top European Union leadership, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has called on the 27-nation bloc to explore granting associate membership status to Ukraine, a move he argues will unlock progress toward a negotiated end to the more than four-year-long war with Russia, documents obtained by the Associated Press confirm. Merz’s proposal lands at a pivotal moment for the EU, as leaders weigh whether to launch an independent European negotiating channel with Russian President Vladimir Putin after U.S.-mediated peace efforts stalled, with Washington’s strategic focus shifted to escalating conflict in Iran.
Under the terms laid out by Merz, Ukraine would gain full access to participate in EU-level meetings and secure non-voting observer seats in both the European Commission, the bloc’s powerful executive arm, and the European Parliament. The German chancellor stressed that this framework is not a watered-down alternative to full membership, emphasizing it would go far beyond the existing Association Agreement that currently structures relations between Kyiv and Brussels. To guard against democratic erosion, Merz also proposed a snap-back mechanism that would reverse associate status if Ukraine fails to uphold required democratic governance standards. Crucially, Merz reaffirmed his support for the longstanding EU commitment to launch full official membership negotiations with Ukraine without delay, a position already restated by European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen last month.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has already signaled cautious optimism about the progress of accession talks, telling the public in a recent address that the development is “very important for us” and noting that Kyiv has completed all required reforms to move the process forward. The accession process requires candidate states to align their national legislation with EU standards across 35 distinct policy chapters, covering everything from judicial independence and rule of law to agricultural and fisheries regulation. Every chapter requires unanimous approval from all 27 EU member states to open, and again to close after alignment is complete. For months, Hungary served as the primary blocker to opening negotiations, but the recent swearing-in of a new Budapest administration has sparked widespread speculation that Budapest’s long-held opposition may soften.
Despite the momentum for expanding EU-Ukraine ties, Merz’s proposal faces resistance from many Brussels-based officials, who argue that full EU membership must remain a strictly merit-based process that only concludes once all reform benchmarks are fully met. Merz has also proposed extending the associate membership framework to other candidate states in the Western Balkans, a region that will be the focus of a major EU leaders’ summit scheduled for next month.
On the conflict itself, Merz argued that closer EU integration through associate membership will create the necessary political foundation to advance a negotiated peace agreement, writing that “this is essential not only for Ukraine’s but for the entire continent’s security.” For Ukraine, integration into Western institutional structures is viewed as a core long-term security guarantee. While full NATO membership remains Kyiv’s ultimate goal, the current U.S. administration has repeatedly ruled out NATO accession for Ukraine in the near term, and many other Western capitals remain wary of extending membership while active conflict continues.
With U.S.-led mediation efforts stalled, EU capitals have increasingly debated the need for a parallel European-led negotiating track, and begun floating potential candidates to serve as EU mediators in the event Putin agrees to direct talks. Earlier this month, Costa confirmed the bloc’s growing interest in an independent European role, saying “we need, in the right moment, to have talks with Russia to address our common issues on security,” adding that this channel would not interfere with ongoing U.S.-led efforts but is necessary to advance Europe’s own core security priorities.
European media has been rife with speculation over potential mediators, with names including former German Chancellor Angela Merkel – a fluent Russian speaker with long-standing personal ties to Putin – and former European Central Bank President Mario Draghi emerging as leading contenders. Putin himself has suggested he would be open to talks with former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, but the proposal has been widely rejected even in Berlin. Schröder’s close personal and business ties to Russian state energy firms, and his longstanding friendly relationship with Putin, have destroyed his domestic political credibility since Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas recently noted that allowing Putin to handpick the European negotiator “would not be very wise,” particularly given Schröder’s role as a “high-level lobbyist for Russian state-owned companies.”
For his part, Zelenskyy has welcomed European involvement in the peace process, saying over the weekend that “Europe must be involved in the negotiations. It is important for Europe to have a strong voice and presence in this process, and it is worth determining who will represent Europe specifically.”
Reporting for this article was contributed by Moulson in Berlin and Susie Blann in Kyiv.