Volodymyr Zelensky – Photo © European Union 2023 – Source EP
(BRUSSELS) – Russia is trying to annihilate not only sovereign Ukraine, but also the European “way of life”, Ukraine’s president Zelensky told the European Parliament at an extraordinary plenary session Thursday.
Opening the session, the Parliament’s president Roberta Metsola told Mr Zelensky: “We understand that you are fighting not only for your values, but for ours.
“Ukraine is Europe and your nation’s future is in the European Union”, President Metsola continued, adding that the EU should give Ukraine the “fastest possible accession process” and, “as a next step, provide the long-range systems and the jets needed to protect the liberty too many have taken for granted.”
Addressing MEPs, president Zelensky outlined how he sees Europe as a continent steeped in rules, values, equality and fairness, and (…) a place where Ukraine is firmly at home. The Kremlin, on the other hand, is doing its utmost to destroy European values, President Zelenskyy said, stressing how Ukraine is fighting for and protecting Europe from this anti-European force.
He thanked all Europeans who have supported Ukraine in the fight against the Russian invader and all those who have helped Ukrainian refugees arriving in the EU.
Looking ahead, president Zelenskyy called on Europe and Ukraine to walk together and define a common European future. However, he underlined that, for our dreams for our children and grandchildren to come true, we need peace and security. These dreams will not be possible if we do not overcome this anti-European force trying to steal our Europe from us, he concluded.
This was Mr Zelensky’s first official visit to the European Parliament, after having addressed MEPs remotely during an extraordinary session on 1 March 2022, shortly after Russia started its war against Ukraine. He also spoke before plenary on 14 December the same year, when Parliament’s 2022 Sakharov Prize was awarded to the brave people of Ukraine.
