New leader of Merkel's CDU elaborates on Ukraine's possible accession to EU

Armin Laschet / REUTERS

The new leader of Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) and strong contender to follow her as chancellor, Armin Laschet, has commented on Ukraine's possible accession to the European Union.

When asked whether Ukraine should also have a path to EU membership, he said in an interview for the journal Internationale Politik (IP) Quarterly: "That's not on the horizon right now. Our interests are very much to support the stability, sovereignty, and modernization of Ukraine. We must support that country on its difficult trajectory, and ultimately open up its perspectives toward Europe."

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Armin Laschet's short bio

• In January, Germany's ruling CDU elected its new chairman. Participants of a CDU congress elected the 59-year-old Prime Minister of the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Armin Laschet, as new leader of the party.
• The new CDU chairman is one of the most likely candidates for the Chancellor's office from the conservative CDU/CSU bloc in the September elections to the Bundestag.
• Incumbent German Chancellor, CDU politician Angela Merkel, who has headed the country's government for 15 years, refused to nominate her candidacy for a new term.