President Zelensky Emphasizes the Importance of Certainty of the Date of Ukraine's Accession to the European Union

JAKARTA - President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday stressed the importance of setting a clear date for Ukraine's accession to the European Union, describing it as an important element of ongoing diplomatic efforts to end the war with Russia.

Speaking to the European Parliament via video conference during an extraordinary plenary session in Brussels, marking four years since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, President Zelensky thanked Europeans for their "constant attention, constant support, and their firm position."

"We never chose this war. We didn't start it, and we didn't provoke it, and we did everything we could to stop it," he said, adding that Moscow had repeatedly brought "a very cruel and merciless anti-European project" to the continent.

Furthermore, President Zelensky said that Ukraine was holding Russia but had not secured sustainable security guarantees, stressing that security could only be ensured "together in Europe, together with America," despite the challenges in maintaining transatlantic unity.

He stressed that a clear deadline for EU membership "is very important as part of the current diplomatic process, in all diplomacy aimed at ending the war."

"This is not just a hope, it is a clear understanding of how (Russian President Vladimir) Putin will act. If there is no date, if there is no such guarantee, he will find a way to block Ukraine for decades by dividing you, by dividing Europe," he explained.

It is known that Ukraine officially applied for EU membership shortly after the war in February 2022 and was granted candidate status at the end of that year.

The Ukrainian president also urged European countries to implement "various full protections" against Russia, ranging from strong sanctions to continued support for civilians affected by Russia's attacks.

"There should be no place in the free world for Russian oil, for Russian tankers, for Russian banks. It's time to completely ban all parties involved in the Russian aggression from across Europe," President Zelensky said.