Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged European leaders to speed up weapons delivery and open EU membership talks with Ukraine this year, in a highly symbolic visit to Brussels, where he said Russia was trying to annihilate “the Ukrainian-European way of life”.
Addressing the EU’s 27 leaders in person for the first time since the Russian invasion last February, Zelenskiy warned that his services had intercepted a plan from Russian intelligence to destroy Moldova. The intercepted document “shows who, when and how was going to break the democracy of Moldova and establish control over Moldova,” Zelenskiy said, adding that he had immediately warned Moldova’s president Maia Sandu. His claim could not be independently verified.
Zelenskiy said it was unknown whether Moscow had “given an order to follow that plan” but it was “a very similar plan” to others tried in Ukraine and elsewhere.
After the invasion of Ukraine, Moldova’s government warned it was facing “a very dangerous new moment” with forces trying to stoke tensions in the breakaway republic of Transnistria, a breakaway region controlled by pro-Moscow separatists, which borders Ukraine.
Zelenskiy’s meeting with EU leaders was the third leg of his European tour, following stops in London and Paris on Tuesday, where he urged the leaders of Britain, France and Germany to supply Ukraine with fighter jets.
Asked directly about his meeting with France’s Emmanuel Macron and Germany’s Olaf Scholz on Wednesday night, Zelenskiy told reporters he had “a positive impression” but preferred not to make public statements about what had been discussed on weapons: “All I would say is we are working towards the enhancement of our capabilities.” Zelenskiy also said his visit to London had “achieved results”. Downing Street, however, said on Wednesday the UK would not send fighter jets if there was a risk to British safety.
Several EU leaders are cautious about Zelenskiy’s request for fighter jets. Asked about this possibility, the Dutch prime minister, Mark Rutte, said nothing was ruled out “as long as there is not an article 5 situation between Nato and Russia”. Nato article 5 enshrines the principle of collective defence, meaning that an attack on one is considered an attack on all.
Emmanuel Macron said he had not discussed fighter jets with Zelenskiy on Wednesday in Paris and would not share “the Ukrainian plan”. The “next weeks and months will be decisive,” the French president said, adding it was necessary to prioritise “useful deliveries” for the Ukrainian war effort rather than “commitments that arrive very late or very far off”.
The day before the summit, the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, criticised “the public competition” among some countries over who could send more weapons to Ukraine. “What harms our unity is a public competition to outdo each other along the lines of battle tanks, submarines, aircraft,” he said.
Meanwhile, Estonia’s prime minister, Kaja Kallas, suggested the EU should consider the joint purchasing of weapons for Ukraine, modelled on the Covid vaccines programme, in order to ensure the faster delivery of equipment. “The price goes up with every delay, with every hesitation,” she said.
Before the EU summit, Zelenskiy received several standing ovations from MEPs as he addressed the European parliament with a paean to “the European way of life”, in which he referred to democratic values, respect for diversity and the rule of law.
“This is our Europe. These are our rules. This is our way of life,” he told the packed chamber of MEPs in another speech well attuned to his audience. “I’m here in order to defend our people’s way home.”
He said Russia was trying to annihilate the “Ukrainian European way of life” through total war, describing the invading country as “the most anti-European force of the modern world”.
Wearing a plain black sweater embossed with United 24 (Ukraine’s war effort fundraising programme), Zelenskiy was presented with a European flag by the European parliament’s president, Roberta Metsola, who said “Ukraine is Europe”. Both appeared moved as they listened to Ukraine’s national anthem and Beethoven’s Ode to Joy, the European anthem.
Zelenskiy was warm in his praise for the European parliament, which he recalled had endorsed his country’s bid to be an EU candidate country only six days after the Russian invasion. “That was the vision that motivated us to be strong and to stay the course,” he said. “Ukraine is going to be a member of the European Union.”
Speaking later to reporters, he reiterated Ukraine’s hopes of opening formal talks to join the EU later in 2023. “When I say this year, I mean it, this year, 2023,” he said in a jokey way to EU leaders.
In both speeches to MEPs and EU leaders, Zelenskiy was profuse in his thanks to European governments and citizens for military and financial support, couching requests for more help in mild terms. He spoke in Ukrainian – another sign of his wish for Ukraine to join the EU, which has 24 official languages.
The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, spoke warmly of Ukraine’s “impressive” work towards EU integration, but also struck a note of caution. “There may be a hard road to tread, but be assured we will be with you every step of the way,” she said.
During the private session, the Ukrainian leader urged his European counterparts to impose sanctions on Russia’s nuclear industry, describing it as “a moral question”. But his hopes are likely to fall short, as EU insiders do not expect an upcoming tenth package of sanctions to make this proposal, which Hungary – a Rosatom client – has threatened to veto.
Von der Leyen said the EU’s next sanctions package – expected to be in place by the first anniversary of the invasion – would target Russian propagandists whose “lies are poisoning the public space in Russia and abroad” and curb trade worth €10bn.
EU insiders have described Zelenskiy’s visit as historic. “I am pretty sure that one physical meeting is more important than 10 meetings online, because you see the reactions, you see the dedication and self-confidence in the eyes of President Zelenskiy,” said Gitanas Nausėda, Lithuania’s president.
“We are well aware of the risks linked to you travelling here and we appreciate your visit all the more,” EU council president Charles Michel told Zelenskiy, recalling the first video link meeting on the day of Russia’s invasion nearly one year ago, when it was feared Ukraine’s president would be captured and killed within hours. “The reality of full scale war in Europe hit us hard and your words chilled us to the bone,”
After addressing the 27 leaders, Zelenskiy met EU leaders in small groups. These encounters will allow him to press the case 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. Western EU member states such as France, Germany and the Netherlands think the process of joining could take years, even decades, and fear raising false hopes among Ukraine’s population.
Ukraine’s other priority is gaining EU support for Zelenskiy’s 10-point peace plan, which calls for the withdrawal of all Russian troops, restoration of Ukraine’s borders and a special tribunal for the prosecution of Russian war crimes.
On Thursday, European leaders are also set to express support for a “peace formula summit aiming at launching [the peace’s plan’s] implementation”, according to draft summit conclusions. The document also notes: “Russia has not shown any genuine willingness regarding a fair and sustainable peace.”
