Brussels, Feb 9 (EFE).- The Ukrainian president, Volodímir Zelenski, arrives this Thursday in Brussels from Paris and is scheduled to deliver a speech at an extraordinary plenary session of the European Parliament and participate in a summit of European leaders.
As EFE has learned, the MEPs are summoned at 10:00 local time (9:00 GMT), at which time the Ukrainian president is expected to address the European representatives.
At the same time, a few meters away, the summit of heads of state and government will begin at the EU Council headquarters, said European sources and the forecast is that Zelenski will meet them in the room “around” 10:30 a.m. local time (9.30 GMT).
That meeting is expected to last an hour and a half and between 12:00 and 14:00 local time (between 11:00 and 13:00 GMT) there will be time for the European leaders to meet with the Ukrainian president bilaterally.
Zelenski arrives in Brussels after the European tour that began yesterday in the United Kingdom, where he met with the British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, and also delivered a speech in Parliament.
He later traveled to Paris, where he met with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Zelenski’s presence will be the focus of the European summit, which was convened two months ago in an extraordinary way to try to boost European green industries to allow them to compete with the huge subsidies offered by the United States or China and to accelerate, on the other hand, practical solutions to solve some of the urgent challenges in the migratory field.
Zelensky calls for planes and more heavy weapons to end the war sooner
Volodimir Zelenski asked France and Germany for the rapid delivery of modern combat aircraft and more heavy weapons in order to end the war caused almost a year ago by the Russian invasion as soon as possible.
“The sooner we have heavy weapons and modern aircraft, the faster this war will end and we can return to peace in Europe,” Zelensky said in a statement along with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz before a working dinner at the Élysée where, among other things, the continuation of Western military support for kyiv will be discussed.
The Ukrainian leader already discussed the delivery of combat aircraft in his meeting with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who noted that “all options are on the table” and said that they agreed to the training of Ukrainian pilots so that they can fly the aircraft. if its delivery were decided.
“I speak of the weapons necessary for the war because it is necessary to stop the war,” he insisted in Paris.
Macron assures Zelensky that he will accompany Ukraine to victory
Macron, host of the event, assured Zelensky of his “determination to accompany him to victory” over the Russian invasion.
“What is at stake in Ukraine is the future of Europe, we are very aware,” said the French leader.
«Ukraine can count on France, its European partners and its allies to win the war. Russia cannot and must not win it,” Macron added before the discussion.
Macron recalled that Zelensky’s last visit to the Elysee was in December 2019 for a summit of the so-called “Normandy format” (France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine) to try to “avoid the worst”. The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, was also at that meeting.
“Russia must not win this war”
For his part, Scholz considered “a strong sign” that Zelensky attended a meeting of heads of state and government of the European Union in Brussels, since “Ukraine is part of the European family.”
“Russia must not win this war,” Scholz said in line with Macron.
The Ukrainian president will spend the night in Paris, according to some local media in a hotel, and the same sources suggest that tomorrow he could travel to Brussels on the same plane as Macron, although the Elysee has not offered details for security reasons.
Shipment of Leopard and Challenger tanks
In the heavy weapons chapter, Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark announced that they will jointly deliver to Ukraine a total of more than 100 Leopard 1 A5 heavy main battle tanks, something they will complete by 2024.
As other European countries prepare shipments of Leopard 1 or 2, and the UK finalizes shipment of Challenger tanks, kyiv has upped its ante in recent days by ordering modern fighter-bombers from the West, as its air force is made up of models of ex-Soviet technology. and it has suffered severe wear and tear during this year of war.
