He received a long standing ovation from the assistants and officials, as never before seen in the European Parliament. Then the less unusual of the members of the EU Commission, including Members of the European Parliament and President Ursula von der Leyen. This is how Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Brussels began. The first stop will be “our home”, the home of European democracy, as defined by the Ukrainian president in his speech to parliament. A passage that is not the result of rhetoric but represents the main message Zelensky wanted to initiate: Kyiv is using Parliament’s support to accelerate EU entry and overcome the reluctance of some member states. But also to buy warplanes and “win the war” against Russia.
Our home”
At these points, Roberta Metsola, head of the Eurochamber, recalled that Parliament is currently in favor of an “as fast as possible accession process” for Kyiv and said States “the next step is the provision of long-range systems and jets, which you need to preserve the freedom that many take for granted”. .
Ein gewaltiger Andrang im @europarl Beautiful @ZelenskyyUa Ankunft! #Europe steht zu #Ukraine! Slava Ukrainians! pic.twitter.com/GrIOIkbga9
— Niklas Nienass (@nnienass) February 9, 2023
“When the rule of law prevails, when states tend to protect open societies, then peoples are united in equality – the president of Ukraine began to speak – There is only one obstacle between a people and a president, that is elections; this is Europe, this is our way of life. Ukraine For this is our home, the way home. They are here to defend the home of our people.” Zelenskiy stated that he is confident that this path to the EU will be successful and said, “Ukraine will become a member of the European Union.”
EU membership
To do so will require work on the rule of law, corruption and reforms: “We are a country at war that wants to implement reforms,” he assured. But we also need to end the war. Zelensky does not speak of peace, but of victory over Russia, an “anti-European power” as he describes it in his speech. After thanking the members of the European Parliament for “helping the refugees resettled in your countries, defending our citizens and not succumbing to Russian disinformation” and expressing all their gratitude to the European Parliament for the “vital supply of weapons, ammunition, fuel and energy equipment”, the leader of Kyiv He criticized the Assembly: “The victory of Ukraine must become a reality, it is a must”.
jets
But victory requires new weapons: after the tanks of the USA and Germany, Zelensky aimed directly at warplanes. He asked for this when he met with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on his trip to London, and he repeated this during his tripartite meeting in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. All three leaders extended their hands forward. However, Zelenskiy is not willing to give up, and in his speech in the European Parliament, he asked the support of the deputies on this issue as well. Addressing Eurochamber head Zelensky, Metsola’s response was immediate: “States should quickly consider providing the long-range systems and jets you need as a next step to preserve the freedom that so many take for granted.”
What did Zelensky say to the European Parliament?
Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
