Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy stood before an EU summit on Thursday and made a direct appeal: the fastest way to protect Europe’s future is to put Ukraine on an accelerated path into the European Union.
In remarks posted to X as a video, Zelenskiy told summit leaders that the defense of Ukraine is actively shaping the continent’s direction. He argued that every democratic nation in Europe belongs in the EU, and declared that “Ukraine merits this because it has 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,” Zelenskiy said.
While acknowledging that not every EU member nation would embrace a speeded-up process, he pressed forward with the idea. “The most important such step – I know that not everyone loves this – could be a fast-track path for Ukraine to join the EU,” he said.
The push comes after EU ambassadors agreed last week to move membership talks forward for both Ukraine and the former Soviet republic of Moldova. Those discussions are now underway on the first of six policy “clusters” designed to align each country’s laws and standards with those of the EU bloc.
Following the summit, the European Council released a statement welcoming the start of those accession talks and saying it “looks forward to the opening of the other clusters, in line with the merit-based approach.”
Zelenskiy also tied European security directly to continued financial support for Ukraine’s military. He said the EU and a “coalition of willing” nations backing Ukraine have the ability to build the financial tools needed to keep that support going.
In an audio message released after the summit and a separate gathering of the “Ramstein” group focused on military aid for Ukraine, Zelenskiy reiterated that his country remains open to peace negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, he urged European nations not to ease pressure on Moscow.
“Europe has to be engaged for us to have a strong position, to commit fully on sanctions without loopholes, on confiscation without exceptions and on funding Ukraine,” he said.
