Philippot calls Merz's idea of granting Ukraine special status in EU "madness"

Florian Philippot, leader of the French right-wing party "Patriots," who announced his intention to run for president in 2027, called German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's idea of granting Ukraine special status in the EU "madness," and stated that it would lead to the ruin of the European Union, BelTA reports, citing RIA Novosti.

Earlier, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper reported on Merz's proposal to grant Ukraine the special status of "associate member" of the EU and extend the mutual defense obligation of the EU Treaty to it.

"Madness! This status would even grant [Ukraine - Ed.] access to European funds! And that means ruin for us," Filippo wrote on his social media page, X.

Furthermore, extending the mutual defense obligation to Ukraine would mean "guaranteed war with Russia," the politician stated.

Earlier, Volodymyr Zelenskyy demanded that the EU admit Ukraine to the bloc in 2027. Meanwhile, European leaders have repeatedly pointed out the inconsistency of Ukrainian legislation with European standards and stated that fundamental reform is a prerequisite for Ukraine's membership. On February 15, the head of European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, acknowledged that EU member states are not ready to give Ukraine a date for its accession to the bloc.