Zelenskyy responds to Merz: Ukraine has been defending Europe fully, not with half measures and has to have right to vote in EU
https://euromaidanpress.com/2026/05/24/zelenskyy-responds-to-merz-ukraine-has-been-defending-europe-fully-not-with-half-measures-and-has-to-have-right-to-vote-in-eu/
49 Comments
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Yeah, shifting the goalposts the second the Orbán excuse disappeared is a terrible look. It basically confirms what people suspected all along—that certain Western European leaders are just terrified of the EU’s balance of power permanently shifting eastward.
The EU doesn’t need Ukrainian corruption. Buffer state should remain buffer state.
This statement is a complete turn of events. Russia has predatorily attacked Ukraine, trying to destroy it and turn Ukrainians into Russians. Ukraine is defending itself.
Many countries and alliances around the world, including the EU, are helping Ukraine fight and defend itself against Russia.
This, however, has nothing to do with the EU. If Ukraine wants to join the EU, it must meet certain requirements, and the joining procedures must also take time.
However, before such an opportunity arises, Ukraine must still defend itself and create peace.
It’s partly true, but not enough in my opinion to become a full EU member.
Putin would not risk invading a NATO country. It’s just not gonna happen despite how many times Zelenskyy is screaming about it. Putin is dumb for invading Ukraine but he is not dumb enough to invade NATO.
For the EU there is a lot of risk involved to allow Ukraine to become a voting member. There is still corruption to the core. Possibly even from Zelenskyy’s allies.
Defending Europe implies Russia was ever planning on advancing through the continent, which is not true because there is a NATO hard border surrounding Russia and Ukraine.
It’s bad timing, they should have done this before orban left as now it looks like a desperate attempt to delay accession.
The fact is, the EU is giving enormous amounts of aid and defence loans to Ukraine, because it’s just and because Ukraine is a buffer state.
Having a full EU memberstate join while in a war would be catastrophic! Huge population so all of a sudden you have a full block of MEPs who have no priority except diverting more eu funds, a full Ukrainian comissioner who will be essentially a war comissioner regardless of portfolio and a tangible seat on the council to steer legislation.
It’s a huge conflict of interest being a decision maker in the body that already gives so much resources to you. Post war would be more sensible.
Lets see a couple more rounds of democratics election first, i say.
I sympathise with Zelenskyy here, but the EU needs to ensure that any states it admits will be functional within the union. There have been too many issues with veto abuse, democracy and rule of law backsliding, and countries whose values are not truly compatible with the European project.
If Ukraine wants to join the EU, they have to meet the same criteria as everyone else. While the Ukrainians have suffered an awful lot from the Russian invasion, Ukraine before the war was a seriously corrupt country. Ukraine should be close to the EU after the war is over, but we need to play it safe also and not create a different issue in the process
No, Ukraine has fully defended itself, which has benefited the EU.
Zelenskyy’s not wrong Ukraine has been taking the full force of Russia’s invasion while the rest of Europe watches and sends aid from a distance. But Aqualung makes a fair point: it’s partly political posturing. He knows Ukraine can’t just skip the line, but he’s pushing now because “we’re literally bleeding for Europe” is a strong card to play. Realistically, EU membership takes years and requires meeting tons of criteria a war-torn country still fighting won’t get fast-tracked. Still, you can’t blame him for trying.
Give him a hand, he’ll want an arm…
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If Merz had balls he would have answered Zelensky that Ukraine is not defending Europe at all. Nobody asked Zelensky anything.
First, Ukraine defended itself, not Europe. Second, Ukraine is not an exception. Everyone who wants to join the EU has to fulfill certain criteria, and Ukraine is no exception to that.
I’m tired of Zelensky’s narrative that Ukraine is somehow defending all of Europe.
If hypothetically Russia wanted to invade the rest of Europe, they’d already be able to do it through their (or Belarus’) border with the Baltics, Finland and Poland.
I understand Zelensky and would like to see Ukraine in the EU as a full member. However, Merz is essentially offering a realistic way for Ukraine to enjoy all of the benefits of the EU (including security, economic growth, access to the single-market) but fast-tracked and realistic. Every member state of the EU currently could veto the accession of Ukraine in its current state. With how opinions are, a lot of them would in fact use that veto. Admitting Ukraine without voting rights would decrease a lot of the critiques those countries could have.
The most important thing to do if Ukraine eventually does get limited rights in the EU is to agree when Ukraine will get full rights. If criterium X is met, Ukraine gets Y right. And so on. They will work to meet those criteria and thus integrate into the EU. This seems the most realistic way for Ukraine to enter the EU and eventually get full member rights.
Its been defending Ukraine. Russians had no intention of invading Europe.
The idea is to make EU pay their 90 BN debt.
Nahhh Mr selensky
I understand why Ukraine refuses the German half-membership proposal, and I agree that’s the correct decision. The proposal is dumb. But I can’t for the love of god understand why Zelensky keeps pushing this completely unrealistic idea of Ukraine joining the EU “tomorrow”. It’s not a matter of will, it’s practically impossible and he must know it, so why does he keep creating conflict about it?
European Union is a political union, the membership ultimately means only one thing: Joining our legal system and enforcing our “federal” laws. Ukraine simply can’t do that before they fully implement acquis communautaire, which still requires a lot of work in their side (and corruption is also partially a problem in terms of European law presuming that member states’ institutions are trustworthy by default). You can’t be in the EU without implementing the EU law, how would that work?
Ukraine does not have a right to vote in the EU. There are very clear rules on when a country can become a member, and it needs unanimous approval from the current members.
It’s easy to sympathize with Zelenskyy, but this isn’t useful. First, because it paints a distorted picture: Ukraine is suffering the brunt of the Russian attacks, but it is able to sustain this war effort because of European help. Without European help, Ukraine would not have lasted this long. Second, Ukraine has already lost the support of the United States, and while it is fortunately still a minority position, there are plenty of parties in Europe who would like to do the same if they had the power. This posturing is not helping Ukraine’s case, even if it is very understandable from his point of view.
There is already a lot of sympathy for fast-tracking Ukraine’s alignment with the EU. Zelenskyy is probably better off keeping this out of the media, and just continuing the good work they’re doing together.
As soon as Ukraine meets all the requirements and is unanimously accepted and ratified by all other EU members, they will have the right!
Keep working on it!
Reminder: Its proven ukraine attacked germany at the northstream pipeline and caused a disaster for the nature there.
They are not our allies.
I really like how Zelensky trys to push his Position and the Position of Ukraine.
I really hate how Merz is weak defending the German interests.
Merz could learn so much from Zelensky Bibi Trump and Putin.
Unfortunatly highly unlikely he is gonna improve.
Yeah but they kinda have to, they are defending themselves and protecting EU is just a “side effect”. Unless they bring other benefits with them
Ukraine is the most corrupt country in Europe.
People discuss details. What’s your gut feeling? Do you want Ukrainian people in EU or not? If the heart says yes why wouldn’t it be the right choice?
He doesn’t have the right to anything in the EU. We don’t need another Poland/Hungary.
No. Not at all. Take russia out of the equation and Ukraine doesn’t match the criteria for a full EU membership. I’m sorry but we just finished a decade of Veto abuses and open extortion. Ukraine was one of the least transparent most corrupt countries in the world. And without a full overhaul, they do not deserve any special seat. They are defending themself. They arent doing this out of their love for europe. And we help them quiet a bit to actually survive this. So someone tell Zelensky to stay in his lane.
Ukraine has been defending Ukraine, period. If Urkaine’s values and interests align with Europe, they can follow the proper channels to join EU as any other country.
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Defender Europe? I didn’t know the Russia had plans to invade Europe through Ukraine.
I support the quick and potentially even expedited accession of Ukraine to the EU. As long as they are fullfilling the necessary criteria. I would say prepare the paperwork and start the processes so once peace happens Ukraine can speedily implement all necessities to join the EU and will be quickly accepted.
I feel like Europe has been defending Ukraine, not the contrary
He means Ukraine defends Ukraine.
They defend Europe by proxy but most and formost they defend themselfs.
But it of course sounds better If you Tell everyone you protect them for their sake, out of the good of your Heart.
Until Russia attacks the EU directly they aren’t going to do shit.
That’s been obvious for YEARS
So Ukraine fighting for its own independence and right to exist somehow gives it the inherent right to join the EU and make decisions for everyone else?
Il nano si dimentica che sta giocando a risico con i nostri soldi e le nostre armi e dimentica anche che è solo un nostro burattino
with all of trump’s bluster of withdrawal from nato, ukraine would be a good spunky addition
No, you don’t have any right.
Peace and fill the criterias.
Fair
Hahaha DeFender хуев.
Opening up a successor to the Afghanistan involvement just to burn people, money and material to save Odessa and commit to US ideologies was a questionable idea for the EU/NATO. Now they are too invested in this and have to compromise further and further into this trap.
Would’ve been way more intelligent to focus on human aid and openly call out full nuclear escalation as soon as a NATO border breach occurs.
He is wrong. And he knows that. It could be said he is lying.
Ukraine can’t join EU atm and not in the foreseeable future because they can’t follow the treaties.
Merz leck eier.
Bullshit!! Europe is not the target of an attack!!
Zum Glück wird die Ukraine nie in die EU aufgenommen und wird immer eine pufferzone zwischen Russland und der EU bleiben! Und mir ist Russland und die Ukraine absolut 💩 egal! Die bekämpfen sich seit 2015 gegenseitig. Von daher kann der Suppenkasper weiter Geld Veruntreuen sich schicke Hotels und Anwesen kaufen auch das juckt mich nicht! Putin und Selenski stehen für mich auf augenhöhe was das ganze angeht!
‘member before the war, when Ukraine was in the news because it was unfathomably corrupt and had many nazi scandals? I ‘member. They have a right to defend but not to come into this system before they reevaluate their compass