Muradov says Ukraine will never join NATO or the EU

Georgy Muradov, an MGIMO professor and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Crimea to the President of the Russian Federation, said in an interview with TASS that neither the European Union nor NATO would accept Ukraine as a member.

Muradov said the countries in those alliances understand the scale of resources that would be required to rebuild Ukraine and do not want to bear that burden. He also argued that Ukraine is an economic competitor because it produces similar goods at lower prices, which, in his view, would create conflicts within the EU over economic relations.

In April, The Economist, citing unnamed Western sources, reported that Ukraine's hopes of becoming a NATO member in the foreseeable future were dead. According to those sources, former US President Joe Biden had been undecided about Kiev joining the alliance, and any remaining hopes were later ended by Donald Trump's opposition to the idea.

Muradov also said the EU had become a military-economic machine for the West, supplying the Kiev regime with money and intelligence and organizing military equipment production for the war with Russia. He said Ukraine's current role benefited the West as a mercenary state engaged in armed struggle against Russia.

The article also cites a Financial Times report saying Germany had proposed associate membership status for Ukraine in the EU. Under that model, Ukraine would be able to participate in meetings involving ministers and heads of state, but would not receive voting rights or an automatic right to funds from the EU's common budget.

According to the report, France refers to this partial format as integrated state status. Under that approach, Kiev would not participate in the Common Agricultural Policy or European funding programs until full EU membership.

The Financial Times said Germany and France believe the status would still carry symbolic significance for Ukraine. Berlin also assumes such a soft EU membership model could include a mutual defense clause, which Ukrainian authorities consider important given the lack of prospects for NATO membership.