The leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Friedrich Merz, has come out against Ukraine's membership in NATO and the European Union, saying: "Ukraine is a very large European country, but it is a country at war. A country at war cannot be a member of either NATO or the European Union." Merz emphasized: "But for both, the war must first end."
Kyiv submitted an application to join the European Union on February 28, 2022, four days after the start of Russia's invasion. On the same day, June 23, the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling for Ukraine to be given candidate status.
Friedrich Merz also expressed his view on the possibility of a prolonged war in Ukraine, noting: "The ruthless exhaustion of human resources has always been part of Russian policy." In this regard, he considers it unlikely that the conflict will end due to resource depletion or internal changes.