OREANDA-NEWS   German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has spoken out against Ukraine's immediate accession to the European Union (EU). He stated this at a press conference following the informal EU summit in Nicosia, according to the NTV channel.

"It is clear to everyone that Ukraine's immediate accession to the EU is, of course, impossible," he said.

However, the head of the German government called for closer cooperation with Kiev in the institutions of the European Union. He stressed that the participation of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky in EU summits, but without giving Kiev the right to vote, is an example of such interaction.

Earlier it became known that negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the European Union may begin in the near future. It is noted that during the Cyprus summit, European leaders agreed that negotiations with Kiev could begin in the coming weeks and months.