Zelensky spoke at the European Parliament in Brussels

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited the European Parliament (EP) before attending the Extraordinary Summit of EU Leaders in Brussels, where he attended for the first time since the start of the Ukraine-Russia war.

Zelenskiy was received by the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola. The duo sang the Ukrainian national anthem and the European anthem in front of the cameras. Then, the Extraordinary Session of the EP General Assembly was held with the participation of the President of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.

Zelenskiy, who was long applauded by lawmakers when he took the podium, thanked the EP for its support for Ukraine. Zelenskiy, referring to the threat from Iran and Russia, stressed that they will not allow the “European way of life” to be destroyed.

Zelenskiy thanked the EU countries and MEPs for their assistance, which includes “vital materials, weapons, ammunition, power equipment and thousands of other materials”, continuing his words as follows:

“Today, at the EU summit, I can personally thank the heads of state and government for making decisions over the past year that have allowed our continents to do what previous leaders considered impossible. Europe is finally recovering from Russia’s devastating dependence on fossil fuels. Europe is purging itself of the corrupt Russian oligarchy. For the first time in its history, Europe is defending itself against infiltration by its agents, who see themselves as a hunting ground for opponents of the Russian regime. The EU provides large-scale military aid. At the same time, we are getting closer to the EU. Ukraine will become a member of the EU.”

It should be noted that Zelenskiy did not mention requests for help with aircraft and heavy weapons, unlike his visits to London and Paris before Brussels.

In his opening speech of the session, Metsola praised Ukraine’s assistance to Turkey due to the earthquakes in Kahramanmaraş. Saying: “Ukraine is Europe and the future of your nation is in the EU”, Metsola said: “You have to win. All governments should quickly consider providing it with the long-range aircraft and systems it needs as the next step. We are behind you. We will be there for you no matter how long it takes.” (AA)