After the end of Russian aggression against Ukraine and the conclusion of a peace treaty, Ukraine may lose some territory, but Ukraine's potential membership in the European Union may help the Ukrainian authorities justify the loss of territory. According to Die Welt, German Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced this on April 27 at a meeting with students.
“I hope that at some point a peace treaty will be concluded with Russia. Then part of the territory of Ukraine may no longer be Ukrainian,” he said.
To consolidate potential territorial losses, Ukrainian authorities will have to hold a referendum, and in order to win a majority of votes, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “must be able” to tell the Ukrainian people: “But I have opened the way to Europe for you.”
The German Chancellor added that the EU still needs to take steps that will ultimately lead to Ukraine's full membership in the European Union.
