London, Tuesday, 01 March 2022 –
On Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged the EU "not to let Ukraine down" and pledged that the EU will be stronger in its relations with Ukraine.
Zelenskyy, speaking via video link during a plenary session of the European Parliament dedicated to the Russian-Ukrainian war, praised the EU's unifying support for Ukraine, but said he didn't realize Ukraine had to pay "such a hefty price for it."
Since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a war on Ukraine on Thursday, he stated his country is paying the "price of independence."
He mentioned two missile attacks on the city of Kharkiv on Tuesday morning, claiming that the Russian attacks had murdered 16 children only the day before.
"Nobody will be able to break us. "We are strong, we are Ukrainian," Zelenskyy said, adding that he wants to "see our children alive.""
"Proof you're with us, prove you won't let us down, prove you're European too," he said, urging EU MPs to "prove you're with us, prove you won't let us down, prove you're European too."
"With Ukraine, the EU will be considerably stronger," Zelenskyy said.
Plenary session of the European Parliament on Russian aggression against Ukraine
The European Parliament's President, Roberta Metsola, stated that EU legislators "would not turn a blind eye" to the war crimes committed and will support an investigation by the International Criminal Court.
She promised to prosecute Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko if they committed war crimes.
Metsola also congratulated Ukraine on its EU candidacy and pledged his support for the country's membership.
Later in the day, EU parliamentarians will vote on a resolution denouncing Russia's aggression against Ukraine.
The most recent developments
The world community has been outraged by Russia's war on Ukraine since it began last Thursday, with the EU, UK, and US imposing a variety of economic penalties on Russia.
The EU approved three sanctions packages against Russia last week, targeting President Vladimir Putin, senior diplomat Sergey Lavrov, the Russian banking sector, and important state-owned enterprises, among others.
President Zelenskyy signed Ukraine's proposal to join the EU on Sunday.
Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Romania all signed an open letter supporting Ukraine's quick candidacy.
According to UN data, at least 136 civilians have been murdered in Ukraine, including 13 children, and 400 more have been injured, including 26 children.
According to the UN Refugee Agency, some 660,000 individuals have fled Ukraine to neighbouring nations.
(Research and edit by: The Decision Maker - International Relations editors)
(Photo by: Businessinsider.com)