Ukraine president to address MEPs

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (pictured) will this week address MEPs from Ukraine in a special plenary session of the European Parliament, writes Martin Banks.

The event marks 1000 days of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

This comes after it was revealed at the weekend that the US will allow Ukraine to strike Russia with long range US missiles. 

Parliament’s President Roberta Metsola will make a statement at the beginning of Tuesday’s session, after which Zelenskyy will address MEPs via live video link from Ukraine.

Political group leaders will then follow.

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, the EU and the Parliament have strongly supported the country by condemning “Russia’s aggression”, imposing sanctions and stepping up its political, humanitarian, military and financial aid to Kyiv.

Parliament has also been a fervent supporter of Ukraine’s efforts to join the EU and has repeatedly called on EU member states to launch accession talks. In addition, MEPs have firmly stated that Russia must compensate financially “for the destruction it has caused in Ukraine”, arguing that the EU should make use of Moscow’s confiscated state-owned assets to facilitate this.

Meanwhile, the “Promote Ukraine NGO will stage a demonstration in front of the European Parliament, to honour “the courage, resilience, and sacrifices made by the people of Ukraine.”

A spokesman for the group said, “This event is a call for the EU to reinforce its support for Ukraine.

“Every piece of humanitarian, military, and economic aid saves lives, strengthens Ukraine’s path to victory, and helps safeguard the peace and stability of Europe. Ukraine’s fight is a fight to protect not only its future but also Europe’s borders and democratic values.

“For 1,000 days, Ukraine has been defending not only its own sovereignty but also the values and security of Europe as a whole. While Ukrainian forces and civilians have shown unwavering courage and strength, these days have also brought unprecedented suffering. Every single day, Russia’s actions have inflicted death, injury, torture, and displacement upon the Ukrainian people, turning lives upside down and bringing unspeakable tragedy to countless families,” said the spokesman.

The event takes place at Place du Luxembourg, 1050 Ixelles, Brussels (in front of the European Parliament) at 1pm on 19 November.

Promote Ukraine is also organizing an artistic performance which will take place at 14:00.

Share this article: