Germany: Offer Ukraine Assoc Membership05/22 06:12

   

   BRUSSELS (AP) -- German Chancellor Friedrich Merz wants the European Union 
to consider offering "associate membership" to Ukraine and breathe new life 
into talks aimed at ending more than four years of war with Russia, according 
to a letter seen Thursday by The Associated Press.

   His letter, to the EU's top officials, comes as the 27-nation bloc weighs 
whether to try to launch its own negotiations with Russian President Vladimir 
Putin, with U.S. mediated talks bogged down while America's attention focuses 
on the Iran war.

   Under Merz's proposals, Ukraine would take part in EU meetings, but without 
voting rights, and would also have non-voting "associate members" of the bloc's 
powerful executive branch, the European Commission, and the European Parliament.

   He insisted that this "would not be a membership light," and "go far beyond" 
the Association Agreement that currently governs EU-Ukraine relations. Merz 
suggested a "snap-back mechanism" in case Ukraine backslides on democratic 
standards.

   European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President 
Ursula von der Leyen reaffirmed last month that official membership talks with 
Ukraine should be opened "without delay," and Merz too called for that process 
to start.

   Delays and road blocks

   On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed signs of 
possible progress in the accession negotiations, saying in an address that it 
is "very important for us. Ukraine has fulfilled everything necessary for this 
progress."

   Candidate countries must bring their laws into line in 35 policy areas, or 
"chapters," ranging from justice standards to farm and fishing rules. All 27 EU 
members must agree before each chapter can be opened, and then again for it to 
be closed.

   Hungary, notably, has blocked the opening of negotiations, but with a new 
government now in place in Budapest this month that stance could change.

   Still, Merz's plan is unlikely to please those European officials who argue 
that EU membership must be a merits-based process that concludes only once all 
the benchmarks have been met.

   But the German leader did say that his approach should be extended to other 
countries waiting in line to join, notably those in the Western Balkans, where 
EU leaders are due to gather for a summit next month.

   A European negotiating track

   On the war, Merz wrote that his proposal "will help facilitate the ongoing 
peace talks as part of a negotiated peace solution. This is essential not only 
for Ukraine's but for the entire continent's security."

   Ukraine sees EU membership as one "security guarantee" for a stable future 
once the war ends. Its best guarantee would be NATO membership, but the Trump 
administration insists that cannot happen, and others are wary of it joining 
while fighting continues.

   As U.S-led mediation efforts have foundered, EU countries have begun to 
debate whether to launch a parallel negotiating track and who might mediate on 
their behalf in the unlikely event that Putin might agree to talk to them.

   Earlier this month, Costa said that "we need, in the right moment, to have 
talks with Russia to address our common issues on security." He said this 
should not "disturb" U.S.-led talks, but that it's important for Europe to 
address its own security concerns.

   Since then, speculation has swirled in European media about possible EU 
negotiators, including former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, a Russian 
speaker who knows Putin well, and former European Central Bank chief Mario 
Draghi.

   Putin has suggested that he might talk to Gerhard Schrder, another past 
German chancellor. But officials have poured cold water on that idea even in 
Germany, where Schrder's ties to the Russian energy sector and friendly 
relationship with Putin damaged his political standing after Russia's 
full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

   EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said it would "not be very wise" to 
allow Putin to appoint a negotiator, and particularly a "high-level lobbyist 
for Russian state-owned companies."

   Zelenskyy has welcomed a European role, saying on Sunday 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."