Czech PM backs Merz to lead EU diplomatic push on Ukraine war

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said the European Union should appoint German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to lead negotiations aimed at ending Russia’s war against Ukraine, arguing that the initiative should be carried out under a formal mandate from EU institutions.

Speaking to journalists as he departed for a summit of EU and Western Balkan countries, Babiš said the continuation of the conflict would be detrimental, while emphasising that Russian President Vladimir Putin is clearly the aggressor. He also noted that US President Donald Trump is currently focused on the Middle East, including efforts to resolve the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

“For me, it is clearly German Chancellor Merz who should, in some way, lead a diplomatic mission on the basis of a mandate from the Council and the Commission,” Babiš said.

The remarks come after Merz, in a letter sent to Brussels in the second half of May, proposed granting Ukraine associated membership in the European Union. The proposal, which was put forward in response to Kyiv’s request for rapid accession, has triggered debate among EU leaders.

Under Merz’s plan, Ukraine would not immediately receive full membership or voting rights within the bloc. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has said the initiative lacks sufficient support among EU member states.

Merz argued that Ukraine should be granted a special status given its current circumstances. Russia’s invasion in February 2022 triggered the largest military conflict in Europe since World War Two, and Ukraine has since made significant progress in accession negotiations, he said. Kyiv formally applied for EU membership just days after the invasion began.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has consistently rejected any form of partial or second-tier EU membership. However, according to the German news agency DPA, Merz wrote in his letter that granting special status would send a strong political signal, while acknowledging that rapid full membership is unrealistic due to opposition from some EU countries.

A key component of Merz’s proposal focuses on security policy. Ukraine would be required to fully align its foreign and security policy with that of the European Union. In return, the EU would commit to extending Article 42.7 of the Treaty on European Union — the mutual defense clause — to Ukraine, which Merz described as a “significant security guarantee.”

The European Union currently has nine candidate countries seeking membership: Ukraine, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Moldova, Georgia and Türkiye. Kosovo is considered a potential candidate country. Each is at a different stage of the accession process. Montenegro, for example, has expressed hope it could join the bloc by 2028, while accession talks with Türkiye, which first applied in 1987, have long remained stalled.

By Tamilla Hasanova