Brussels, Belgium. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told an EU summit on Thursday that Europe’s future was being shaped by Ukraine’s defence against Russia and said the best security guarantee for the bloc was to grant Kyiv fast-track membership. He also said Ukraine wanted the war to end by the end of the year and urged EU members to help the country prepare for another winter with air defence missiles and fuel.
Zelenskiy calls for accelerated accession
Zelenskiy said every democratic nation in Europe deserved to be in the EU and that Ukraine merited membership because it had paid more than any other country for its right to be free, independent and European.
“The future of Europe – free, united and of course in peace – is being decided in our defence. That shows how unique our situation is,” he said in excerpts of his address posted on X.
He acknowledged that not all EU members supported accelerated accession but said a fast-track path for Ukraine to join the EU would be the most important step.
Military support sought before winter
Zelenskiy said he had told member states that Ukraine wanted the war against Russia to be over by the end of the year. He urged them to support Kyiv ahead of another winter by providing air defence missiles and fuel.
Through diplomacy, sanctions and military pressure on Russia, Ukraine is pushing to end the war by the winter, Zelenskiy said in subsequent comments on Telegram. He added that Russian President Vladimir Putin was not interested in agreeing a deal.
EU statement reflects divisions
EU ambassadors agreed last week to advance membership talks with Ukraine and Moldova. A statement issued by the European Council after the summit welcomed the beginning of accession talks for Ukraine and said it “looks forward to the opening of the other clusters, in line with the merit-based approach”.
Hungary demanded the removal of language supporting accelerated accession from the European Council statement released after the summit. Prime Minister Peter Magyar said on X that Hungary had succeeded in removing a reference to accelerating Ukraine’s accession.
Strikes inside Russia highlighted
Hours before Zelenskiy’s address, Ukrainian airstrikes hit targets deep inside Russia, including an oil refinery in Moscow. In meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump and other G7 leaders in France this week, Zelenskiy presented such long-range strikes as evidence of Ukraine’s military capabilities.
