Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, the chair of the European Parliament’s Defence Committee and a member of the FDP party, welcomed the proposal put forward by CDU candidate Friedrich Merz regarding partial European Union membership for Ukraine. Speaking to the “Rheinische Post”, she stated that the chancellor’s idea is moving in the right direction. However, she cautioned that while EU accession is not instantaneous, Ukraine must fully meet all the required criteria, just as all other candidate countries must. Despite this, the politician emphasized that Ukraine desperately needs a reliable European outlook, supplementing the support it has already received.
Additionally, Strack-Zimmermann insisted that any security guarantees Merz offers must be clearly defined, credibly structured, and proven reliable in a real emergency. She warned that neither a partial nor a diluted approach would help either Ukraine or Europe’s own security. She concluded her remarks with a pointed question, asking, “Now, the question remains: is the SPD aware of this?”
