Zelensky pitches for bloc membership

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pleaded with European Union leaders on Thursday to grant his country faster accession to join the bloc, while thanking Europeans for their support in the past year of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

In his first in-person address to the European Parliament in Brussels on Thursday morning, Zelensky said Ukraine is fighting to preserve the "European way of life".

"This is our Europe, these are our rules, this is our way of life. And for Ukraine, it is a way home, a way home," he told the MEPs who greeted him with a standing ovation when he entered the parliament hall.

"Ukraine is going to be a member of the EU," Zelensky said. However, the 27 EU member states are still sharply divided on the issue.

In her opening speech before Zelensky's address, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola called on EU leaders to ensure Ukraine receives "the fastest possible accession process" along with funds and help for reconstruction, training for Ukrainian troops and more military equipment, including "long-range systems and the jets" it needs to win the conflict.

"Our response must be proportional to the threat, and the threat is existential," she said. "We will be with you for as long as it takes."

Zelensky also attended the EU summit in the afternoon. He was also expected to meet NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.

European Council President Charles Michel said it is very important to increase efforts to support Ukraine with military means on one hand and political support on the other hand. "We are extremely united, more than ever," he said on Thursday morning.

Macron's support

French President Emmanuel Macron, who arrived in Brussels along with Zelensky on Thursday, told the press that his first message was to give full support to Ukraine from day one to the last minute.

"My second message was to reiterate that Russia cannot and will not win this war," he said.

Macron said the third message was about a strategy to assess precisely the objective on the ground, the requirements and needs from an operational point of view, and the strategy to negotiate toward peace.

Macron would not comment on whether the EU will provide fighter jets to Ukraine as Zelensky has asked.

Observers believe that Zelensky is unlikely to walk away this time with much more than EU leaders renewing their pledges of unwavering support.

The EU has rolled out nine rounds of sanctions against Russia and the 10th round is expected to be announced around the first anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine conflict on Feb 24.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday defended his country's track record in helping Ukraine.

"Among the EU states, we are now the country that provides the most support — financial, humanitarian, but also the most concrete support in terms of arms deliveries," he said.

Brussels is the third stop in Zelensky's two-day tour through European capitals, which also took him to London and Paris.

The Russian embassy in London described Zelensky's trip to the United Kingdom as a "hasty event", "theatrical performance", "fundraising event" and the "ex-comedian in a green sweatshirt now on tour around Europe".

In response to the UK saying it is "actively looking" at whether to send fighter jets to Ukraine, the embassy warned that such a move would have "military and political ramifications" for the whole world.

Ren Qi in Moscow contributed to this story.

chenweihua@chinadaily.com.cn