“It is clear to everyone that Ukraine’s immediate accession to the European Union is impossible”, said German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Friday 24 April, after the informal meeting of European leaders held on Thursday 23 April in Cyprus.
The day before, the leaders had welcomed the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, and the issue of his country’s accession to the EU was discussed. While French President Emmanuel Macron had asked the Commission the previous evening to set...