Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is in Brussels on Thursday to press European leaders at a summit for more weapons in the fight against Russia and a quick start to EU accession talks for his country.
In addition to attending an EU summit, Zelensky is scheduled to address the European Parliament during his visit to the Belgian capital, the third leg of a European trip.
Although the Ukrainian leader is unlikely to get immediate commitments to meet their demands, the visit gives him the chance to make his case in person before the EU’s 27 national leaders for the first time since the Russian invasion almost a year ago, on 24 February 2022.
The trip marks the second time Zelensky has left his country since the war began, following a surprise visit to Washington in December.
The president began a small European tour on Wednesday in London, where British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promised him to train Ukrainian pilots in advanced NATO fighter jets.
He then met French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Paris for dinner talks. They both vowed to continue supporting Ukraine, and Zelensky pushed again for advanced weaponry.
“France and Germany have the potential to be a game changer and that is how I view our talks today,” Zelensky said. “The sooner we get long-range heavy weapons and our modern aircraft pilots…the sooner this Russian aggression will end.”
Zelensky also insisted on his call for fighter jets in a speech to British lawmakers, when he referred to the planes as “wings for freedom.” In a joint press conference with Zelensky, Sunak said “nothing is off the table” when it comes to supplying Ukraine with fighter jets to fight Russia.
The British announcement made no commitment to supply aircraft to kyiv. But it points to a change that could pave the way for other countries to send planes. Until now, Western countries have refrained from offering aircraft or weapons that could strike inside Russia.
The United States, which has refused to send F-16 fighter jets to Kiev, is expected to announce a $2 billion weapons package in the coming days that would include rockets with bombs that would double the range of those it sent. last year. According to the TASS news agency, the Russian embassy in the UK warned London against sending fighter jets to Ukraine, saying such a move would have worldwide ramifications.
As for EU membership, the Ukrainian authorities are pushing for talks in the coming months. In Paris on Wednesday, Scholz appeared to wink at kyiv’s concerns when he said: “I bring a clear message to Brussels: Ukraine belongs to the European family.” A Ukrainian representative said that Ukraine was “absolutely sure that the decision to start accession negotiations can be taken this year.”
While some EU member countries want to give Ukraine the morale boost that accession talks would bring, others are far more cautious. They have insisted that the candidates must meet a series of criteria, such as the fight against corruption, before starting negotiations.
New sanctions against Russia are also likely to be discussed in Brussels. Scholz said in Berlin on Wednesday that the EU will tighten sanctions against Moscow again close to the anniversary of the war. Diplomatic sources told Reuters last month that EU countries were working on a tenth package of sanctions that should be ready around February 24.