Merc: Ukraine may cede land for EU path

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has reiterated that Ukraine may have to accept that parts of its territory remain outside Kyiv's control as part of a future ceasefire or peace deal with Russia. He explicitly linked this potential concession to Ukraine's path toward European Union membership. The comments echo previous statements from Merz and other Western officials framing territorial compromise as a pragmatic necessity for ending the war. Ukrainian officials have consistently rejected any notion of ceding sovereign territory.