Ukraine leader Zelenskiy to press EU for weapons delivery
Volodymyr Zelenskiy is expected to call for European leaders to speed up the delivery of weapons to help his country repel Russia's invasion, and not put unnecessary obstacles in Ukraine's path to EU membership when he attends a special summit in Brussels on Thursday.
After a surprise trip to London and Paris, where the Ukrainian president met the leaders of Britain, France and Germany, Zelenskiy is expected to address the European Parliament in a special session.
On the next leg of his European tour, Zelenskiy is expected to focus on Ukraine's need for military equipment and a campaign for quick accession to the EU.
On the eve of the trip, my president travels to get results, a senior Ukrainian official said. This month and next in terms of military deliveries, Ukraine s European allies need to speed up because Zelenskiy is seeking long-range artillery, the delivery of promised European tanks and fighter jets and ammunition, ammunition and ammunition, the official said. The army is running out of Soviet-type shells and wants western equivalents to continue the war effort. The official said if we had all this already, we could start a counter-offensive.
The visit was described by EU insiders as historic.
Zelenskiy has already addressed six EU summits via a video link, but this will be his first trip to Brussels since Russia's invasion a year ago. He is expected to address the 27 leaders and hold numerous bilateral meetings.
These encounters will allow him to press for Ukraine's speedy accession to the EU to more sceptical leaders. Ukraine, along with Moldova and Georgia, was granted candidate status in June last year, having filed its application only a few days after the Russian invasion. West EU member states, such as France, Germany and the Netherlands, think the process could take years, even decades, and fear raising false hopes among the population of Ukraine.
Zelenskiy is expected to reiterate his call for Ukraine to be allowed to start membership negotiations in 2023, a procedural step that usually takes years after the approval of candidate status. The Ukrainian official said that they would not like to be hostages of any bureaucratic procedure.
Ukraine's other priority is gaining EU support for Zelenskiy's 10 point peace plan, which calls for the withdrawal of all Russian troops, the restoration of Ukraine's borders and a special tribunal for the prosecution of Russian war crimes.
On Thursday, European leaders are expected to express support for a peace formula summit aiming at launching the peace s plan's implementation according to draft summit conclusions. Russia hasn't shown a genuine willingness to work for a fair and sustainable peace, according to the document.