Zelensky Pushes for Faster EU Entry and Winter Aid

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told an EU summit that Europe’s future was being shaped by Ukraine’s defense. He argued that fast-track membership for Kyiv would provide the bloc with its strongest security guarantee.

“Of course, we want to end this war before winter – through diplomacy and by putting pressure on Russia. But we understand who we're dealing with”, he said.

Although EU ambassadors agreed last week to advance membership talks with Ukraine and Moldova, with discussions beginning on the first of six legal and policy clusters, accelerated accession continues to face resistance. Hungary succeeded in removing a reference to speeding up Ukraine’s membership process from the European Council’s final statement, Prime Minister Peter Magyar wrote on X.

The Council welcomed the beginning of accession talks with Ukraine and said it looked forward to opening the remaining clusters in line with a merit-based approach.

Zelensky said that Ukraine would need gas, diesel fuel, energy equipment and a package of at least 300 missiles should the war continue. He also called for the release of €6bn ($6.9bn) from the European Peace Facility and urged Europe to tighten sanctions without loopholes.

Hours before the summit, Ukrainian strikes hit targets deep inside Russia, including an oil refinery in Moscow. Zelensky cited Ukraine’s long-range attacks as evidence of its capabilities during meetings with US President Donald Trump and other G7 leaders in France.

Following the attack on Thursday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow would carry out “massive coordinated strikes on a regular basis” against Ukraine.

(Reuters, Max)