The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, met this Friday with the Ukrainian President, Volodimir Zelenski, and gave a speech before the Ukrainian Parliament in which she recognized that the European institution “will help” kyiv to join the Union European.
Metsola has published on his social networks a photograph in which he appears shaking hands with Zelenski and has added a text that reads: “Courage, strength and determination. With Zelenski in kyiv. Long live Ukraine.”
During her visit to the Ukrainian capital, made official at the last minute on Thursday and without details for security reasons, the President of the European Parliament also held a meeting with the country’s Prime Minister, Denis Shmigal, with whom she discussed the importance of imposing “more and more far-reaching sanctions”.
Courage, strength, resolve.
With @ZelenskyyUa in Kyiv 🇺🇦
Slava Ukraine!#StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/SNc2pLwQ0y
– Roberta Metsola (@EP_President) April 1, 2022
On the other hand, the European leader has met with “different political leaders” to whom she has conveyed the institution’s commitment to Ukrainian democracy. “Europe will remain united and will combine its strength against the aggressors with compassion for those fleeing Ukraine,” Metsola said on social media, where she also attached an image of the meeting.
ENTRY INTO THE EUROPEAN UNION
On the other hand, Metsola has delivered a speech before the Ukrainian Parliament where he has stated that the institution he presides “will help” Ukraine to achieve its goal of joining the European Union.
“The European Union recognizes Ukraine’s European ambitions and aspirations to be a candidate country for EU membership. And I am here before all of you so that you can trust me, so that you can trust that the European Parliament will help your country. achieve this goal,” said Metsola.
The president of the European Parliament has stated that she is aware that the EU is the place that kyiv wants to go, so the institution will respond “with sincerity and hope”. “Each side has its moments, but there is no doubt in Ukraine’s European future,” she added.
On the other hand, he dedicated part of his speech to highlighting Ukrainian citizenship in the face of Russian aggression, and with special attention to the city of Mariupol, whose population “will inspire future generations” for its resistance, according to the European Parliament.
“The European Union and the whole world see that you are the defenders of your country of origin. But you are not only fighting to protect your homes and your territory, you are fighting for what we all believe in: for Democracy, freedom, the State of law,” he underlined.
Finally, it has stressed the need to implement more sanctions against Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin, as well as against officials, oligarchs and companies related to his government in response to the invasion. “We need more sanctions, they must be held accountable for what they have done here in Ukraine,” Metsola said.
In this same aspect, he stressed that the European group has provided “financial, military and humanitarian” assistance to Ukraine, although he stressed that this aid will continue to be provided. Likewise, he has pointed out that the old continent will reduce its energy dependence on Russia.
“I want to see a time when Europe is free and secure without Russia’s energy supply… Europe must move towards zero gas purchases from Russia. This is of course an ambitious goal, but it is necessary because We should not finance what Russia is doing by consuming Russian energy,” he concluded.
Metsola is the first head of an EU institution to visit Ukrainian territory since the start of the conflict. Although the prime ministers of Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia already traveled to kyiv in the middle of the month, they did so in a personal capacity although they had previously notified the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the president of the European Council. Charles Michel.