Merz: Ukraine's EU integration is a path to peace

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz sees Ukraine’s closer integration into the European Union as vital for ending Russia’s war against the country.

"Hopefully, at some point there will be a peace treaty with Russia. Then it is possible that part of Ukraine’s territory will no longer be Ukrainian," said Merz during a discussion with secondary school pupils in the town of Marsberg in western Germany on Monday.

For Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to secure a majority for this in a referendum, he must be able to tell his people that he has "opened the path to Europe for you."

The EU must take steps for Ukraine "that are credible, that are irreversible and that ultimately lead to full membership of the European Union," Merz said.

At the recent EU summit in Cyprus, the Chancellor had proposed that representatives from Ukraine could initially attend meetings of the European Council, Parliament or Commission, without voting rights.

Germany must take on a leading role in the EU, Merz emphasized. The EU has 100 million more inhabitants than the US. "If we were to unite more effectively and do more together, we could be at least as strong as the United States of America," the Chancellor said.

The chancellor’s visit to the Carolus-Magnus-Gymnasium in Marsberg was part of EU Project Day, during which schools across Germany carry out activities centred on the European Union.

The project day was launched in 2007 by the then German EU Council Presidency. For years, a key component has been politicians visiting schools to give young people a better understanding of European politics.