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Ukraine’s associate member status to ruin EU financially — French politician

Florian Philippot noted that this status would allow Ukraine even access to European funds

PARIS, May 22. /TASS/. Florian Philippot, the leader of the French Patriots party, criticized German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s proposal to grant the status of "associate member" to Kiev, saying that it will ruin the European Union financially.

"This status would allow [Ukraine] <...> even access to European funds. This would mean ruin for us," he wrote on the X social network.

Earlier, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz proposed granting Ukraine a special status of EU "associate member" that would allow Ukrainian officials to take part in meetings of the bloc’s governing institutions but not participate in voting.

Such a step, Merz explained, would be necessary amid the particular situation caused by hostilities in eastern Ukraine, and "significant progress" in negotiations on integration for Kiev, the news agency wrote. The special status would send Ukrainian residents "a strong political signal" and could also help facilitate the peace talks with US mediation, including if EU member states apply their mutual defense clause to Ukraine.

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