German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has proposed an associated membership status to integrate Ukraine into the European Union before full accession.The plan allows Ukraine to participate in European Council and Commission meetings without voting rights while gaining security guarantees through the Article 42.7 mutual defense clause.Negotiations for full membership have faced persistent delays, although the recent political transition in Hungary under Peter Magyar may eventually clear obstacles.President
Volodymyr Zelenskyy continues to advocate for full membership, yet
Berlin maintains that this intermediate step provides the most realistic path for immediate cooperation.