Following stops in London and Paris on Wednesday, where he attempted to rally support for the delivery of fighter jets to Ukraine, the Ukrainian leader arrived in Brussels on Thursday. He spoke to the European Parliament and met with top EU officials.
Zelenskyy’s appearance has cast a shadow on a meeting that was originally planned as a special session to discuss migration. Given the growing number of persons entering the EU outside of the established legal procedures, Brussels has been under great pressure from nations like Austria and the Netherlands to have EU leaders examine the problem.
While smaller nations worry that the move may hurt governments with limited funds, EU giants France and Germany are eager to see Brussels relax its rigorous restrictions on when and how governments might invest in their own enterprises, another item on the agenda of the special Council summit.
President Zelenskyy was addressed by Roberta Metsola, the president of the European Parliament, who remarked: ‘We understand that you are fighting not only for your values, but for ours.’ The EU should grant Ukraine the fastest possible accession process and, as a follow-up, ‘provide the long-range systems and the jets needed to protect the liberty too many have taken for granted,’ President Metsola stated.
‘Ukraine is Europe and your nation’s future is in the European Union,’ she added.
President Zelenskyy emphasised in his speech to MEPs how Russia is attempting to destroy not only independent Ukraine but also the European way of life. He described how, in his view, Ukraine belongs in Europe, which is a continent rooted in laws, principles, equality, and fairness. In his remarks President Zelenskyy declared that Ukraine is fighting for and defending Europe from an anti-European force, stressing that the Kremlin is trying to destroy European ideals with all its might.
He expressed gratitude to all Europeans for helping Ukrainian refugees enter the EU and for helping Ukraine fight off the Russian invasion. President Zelenskyy urged Europe and Ukraine to work together to build a shared European future. He underscored that peace and security are necessary for our hopes for our children and grandchildren to come true. ‘If we do not defeat this anti-European group that is attempting to steal our Europe from us, these dreams will not be realised,’ he concluded.
A minor detail about the Zelenskyy visit to the EP has been blown out of proportion by some European politicians and reporters. As we commented earlier today, much attention has been devoted to the fact that Prime Minister Orbán did not applaud when President Zelenskyy entered the assembly hall, with most outlets claiming he was the only one to do so, which is in fact not true.
President Zelenskyy made his first-ever formal trip to the European Parliament on Thursday; on 1 March 2022, not long after Russia invaded Ukraine, he spoke to MEPs by video conference. On 14 December of the same year, when the Parliament presented the valiant citizens of Ukraine with the 2022 Sakharov Prize, he also addressed the assembly.
