German Prime Minister: Ukraine may have to cede territory to clear the way to the EU

“At some point, Ukraine will sign a ceasefire agreement and hopefully a peace agreement with Russia. At that time, part of Ukraine’s territory may no longer belong to them,” German Prime Minister Friedrich Merz said at an event in Marsberg, North Rhine-Westphalia state today.

According to Mr. Merz, a potential peace agreement with Russia is something Ukraine needs to achieve to pave the way for the process of joining the European Union (EU). Russia has repeatedly asked Ukraine to make territorial concessions to reach a peace agreement, while Kiev firmly refused.

According to data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), headquartered in the US, Russia has controlled about 13% more of Ukraine’s territory since the start of the conflict in February 2022. If we include Crimea and parts of Donbass that Russia previously controlled, this rate is about 20%.

Mr. Merz added that if Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wants to convey this message to the people and receive majority support, “he needs to hold a referendum and tell the people ‘I have opened the way for you to Europe'”.

Ukraine’s process of joining the EU was blocked by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. However, Mr. Orban’s defeat in the election earlier this month raised hopes that the process could be accelerated. Currently, Ukraine holds official candidate status for the EU.

However, Mr. Merz warned not to be too optimistic about the prospect of Ukraine quickly joining the EU. He said Ukraine cannot join the bloc while at war and must first meet strict criteria, including legal and anti-corruption criteria.

“Mr. Zelensky once raised the idea of ​​Ukraine becoming an EU member on January 1, 2027. That is not feasible. Even January 1, 2028 is not realistic,” Mr. Merz said.

The German Prime Minister proposed taking intermediate steps such as giving Ukraine an observer role in EU institutions. He said the proposal received the approval of many European leaders at last week’s summit in Cyprus, where Mr. Zelensky also attended.

Last week, the EU approved a loan worth 90 billion euros (nearly 106 billion USD) to Ukraine, helping to cover most of the country’s budget needs until 2027, although there is still disagreement within the bloc over the pace of accession negotiations with Ukraine.