- Jessica Parker & Paul Kirby
- BBC News
President Zelensky spoke about the “European way of life” in Ukraine during his speech
The Ukrainian president called on European Union leaders to provide combat aircraft and weapons for the war against Russia, on his second trip abroad since the start of the war.
“We have to strengthen the dynamics of our cooperation, and we have to do it faster than the aggressor,” said Volodymyr Zelensky.
Zelensky was greeted with a standing ovation at the European Parliament in Brussels, and several EU leaders have stressed that a decision on the warplanes would be a collective step.
Some are careful to avoid the debate in public, and there is concern about Russian escalation.
The Kremlin warned Thursday that the line between direct and indirect Western intervention in the conflict is disappearing.
Andriy Yermak, director of the Ukrainian presidential office, said the issue of long-range weapons and combat aircraft had been resolved. Zelensky said only that certain positive agreements had been reached but not yet announced.
The UK said no decision had yet been taken on long-term provision of aircraft but would provide training for Ukrainian pilots on planes Ukraine already owns.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said his country could only act “within the entire framework of NATO,” while Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said the issue should be discussed behind closed doors. European Parliament President Roberta Metsola called on European Union countries to consider Kyiv’s request for planes quickly.
In his speech to parliament in Brussels, Zelensky repeatedly associated Ukraine with a European way of life. Ukraine has applied to join the European Union and is urging the bloc’s leaders to speed up the process of entry, which usually takes many years.
“Ukraine will be a member of the European Union,” he told members of the European Parliament. He said that Ukrainians are defending themselves together with Europe against “the largest anti-European force in the modern world”.
This theme was repeated in the subsequent summit with the leaders of the European Union, as he stressed that Europe cannot be free without a free Ukraine.
The Ukrainian leader had earlier traveled from Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron, where he also held talks with German President Olaf Scholz. Before his visit to Paris, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak assured him that everything was on the table.
image copyright Mohammed Badra/POOL/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock
The Ukrainian leader traveled with President Macron to Brussels ahead of the EU summit
Zelensky said Germany and France had the potential to “change the rules of the game” in the war. He explained that the sooner Ukraine receives heavy and long-range weapons and modern aircraft, “the sooner this Russian aggression will end.”
And although President Macron has previously indicated some openness to providing fighter jets, Schulz has not.
The French president pledged that Ukraine could count on his support, and that France was “determined to help Ukraine win and restore its legitimate rights.” “The position has not changed: Russia must not win this war,” Scholz added.
Because of Russia’s 11-month-old invasion, Zelensky rarely leaves his country, and a senior Ukrainian official said the purpose of his trip was to get results.
He says that combat aircraft and long-range missiles are important in addition to the Leopard 2 tanks, which Western countries have recently committed to supplying. While Zelensky said he discussed the issue of fighter jets in Paris, he warned that there was “little time” to provide the much-needed weapons.
The Dutch prime minister said several sensitive issues must be discussed before a decision is made on the supply of combat aircraft. “The pros and cons – you have to make absolutely sure that you’re not going into a direct Article 5 confrontation between NATO and Russia,” Rutte told the BBC.
Moscow has repeatedly warned the West about arms shipments since the start of the war and repeatedly threatened to respond to what it called “provocations”.
Responding to a question from journalists in Moscow about the growing controversy over sending warplanes to Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia sees this as evidence of the increasing involvement of the United Kingdom, France and Germany in the conflict.
Peskov said: “We regret that and say that such actions by these countries lead to an escalation of tension around this conflict, prolonging it and making it more painful and torturing for Ukraine.”
Chancellor Scholz only recently agreed to allow German Leopard tanks to be sent to Ukraine, and warned against getting involved in a “public bidding war” for weapons systems for Ukraine.
Zelensky had earlier addressed a joint session of the British Parliament in Westminster Hall, emphasizing his call for fighter jets: “Freedom will win – we know Russia will lose.”
Downing Street said British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace was investigating the planes that could be shown but stressed that this was a “long-term solution” and that pilot training could take years.