Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday urged the European Union to grant his country membership to the bloc during an address to the European Parliament in Brussels.
Zelensky argued that Russia is trying to tear apart the European way of life with its war on Ukraine, saying Ukraine “will be a part of the European Union.”
“A Ukraine that is winning is going to be a member of the European Union,” Zelensky said in the rare address outside of Ukraine. “The European Union that is winning.”
Zelensky made the comments to European leaders as he has toured the region in recent days, trying to lock down more military and financial support from a number of key countries. He visited the United Kingdom and France during the trip that started on Wednesday.
Zelensky framed his country’s war against Russia as a fight for the freedom of all of Europe, thanking leaders for the support they have already offered.
But the trip by the Ukrainian president comes as Russia has intensified its actions in the eastern part of the country, with the Ukrainian military preparing for an expected new major offensive from Russia.
Zelensky also revealed during his trip to Brussels that Ukraine had intercepted plans by Russia to destroy Moldova, a European country that shares a border to the southeast of Ukraine.
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola urged countries in the bloc to provide Ukraine with long-range systems and fighter jets “quickly,” calling the threat that Russia poses to Ukraine “existential.”
Zelensky and Ukrainian leaders have been on a full-court press to secure the long-range missile systems and fighter jets, arguing the equipment is key to helping defend against Russian attacks. But a key member of Zelensky’s staff, Andriy Yermak, signaled that the country had secured the needed support from European leaders for the military infrastructure, saying on social media platform Telegram on Thursday that “the question of long-range weaponry and fighter jets for Ukraine has been resolved.”
Ukraine applied for EU membership in early 2022 and has been granted candidate status by the bloc, meaning it is on a pathway to becoming part of the union.
