Zelenskyy flies West: If it’s Thursday, this must be Belgium

BRUSSELS (AP) — First, the Ukrainian president flew overhead on his way to Washington. Then on Wednesday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy flew overhead to Britain. And then to Paris. Fourth time lucky? He is now expected to stop by the European Union headquarters where the bloc’s leaders meet on Thursday — security concerns permitting.

Almost a year after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, after the EU committed tens of billions of euros in aid, provided military hardware, imposed nine packages of sanctions, and paid almost monthly visits to Kyiv, the 27-nation bloc looks set to finally get the man of the moment on its home turf.

Even if the novelty of the Ukraine leader traveling outside his war-torn country has somewhat worn off, Thursday’s gathering with his 27 counterparts, top EU officials and legislators in Brussels is packed with political symbolism.

After meeting with Zelenskyy in Paris on Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron’s office confirmed that the Ukrainian leader would join EU leaders in Brussels, who “will reiterate Europeans’ unwavering support to Ukraine and the Ukrainian people.”

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“If President Zelenskyy has chosen to come it is because he has an interest,” said a diplomat from a major EU nation. “Here he can address the leaders who have made the most important efforts since the war started,” added the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the visit had not been officially announced yet.

The EU is in the midst of brokering a new sanctions package worth some 10 billion euros ahead of the Feb. 24 one-year anniversary of the war. And there is still plenty of scope for exporting more military hardware to Ukraine as a Russian spring offensive is expected.

Furthermore, however far away Ukraine’s possible membership in the EU may be, Zelenskyy appearing in his khakis and unleashing his rhetoric in the vaunted halls of European power can only add to the goodwill to help his country on to the road of accession talks.

Ukraine is talking about joining the EU in a matter of years, while practice has shown it could take decades before aspiring members are considered fit to join.

Zelenskyy’s visit would have been easier if a European Parliament group had not raised security concerns by leaking plans about the trip three days in advance.

A week ago, EU top officials Charles Michel and Ursula von der Leyen visited Kyiv for a three-way summit meeting to underscore the ever-tighter relations the Russian invasion had forced both sides into.

Overall, the EU and its member states have already made some 50 billion euros in aid available to Ukraine, and are making plans to invest heavily in reconstruction once the war ends.

EU nations have finally started to step up their military contributions as well.

Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands announced Tuesday that they plan to provide Ukraine with at least 100 refurbished German-made Leopard 1 battle tanks in the coming months. The announcement followed Germany agreeing last month to allow deliveries of the more modern Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.

The order of Zelenskyy’s foreign trips also was an indication of the EU’s position in the Western political pecking order as far as Kyiv is concerned. After being feted by U.S. president Biden around Christmas, Zelenskyy went to Britain and France. All three are U.N. Security Council members and nuclear powers. Germany, as Europe’s economic juggernaut, got an invite at the table with Macron.

“He knows well that it’s not the EU itself which has tanks, and that he needs to speak with member states,” the diplomat put it.

Which perhaps, more than anything, brings Zelenskyy to Brussels.

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Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine