Slovakia’s Fico opposes Ukraine's "associated" EU status

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has criticised a proposal by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to grant Ukraine an “associated member” status in the European Union as an interim step before full membership.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, May 21, as reported by Dennik N, Fico said he had not yet reviewed Merz’s letter addressed to the European Commission outlining the initiative. However, he expressed scepticism that the proposal would gain sufficient backing among EU member states.

“Either we accept someone into the EU, or we do not. Today, there is no atmosphere in the European Union for such steps,” Fico said.

He emphasised that EU membership is contingent on fulfilling strict conditions and described the accession process as lengthy and structured.

Fico also argued that enlargement priorities should focus on other candidate countries. In particular, he pointed to Montenegro, Albania, and Serbia as states that, in his view, should be admitted before Ukraine.

“These three countries should be admitted to the European Union as soon as possible,” he added.

By Tamilla Hasanova