Brussels: On Thursday, President Volodymyr Zelensky requested more weapons from his Western allies and suggested that "a Ukraine that is winning" its conflict with Russia join the EU because the organisation wouldn't be complete without it.

Having just returned from a rare two-day trip outside of Ukraine to seek new weapons from the West to fend off the invasion that Moscow has been waging for nearly a year, Zelensky made his emotional appeal at the EU headquarters in Brussels on that day. He was speaking as Russia was launching a fresh offensive in eastern Ukraine.

Zelensky, who also travelled to the UK and France, was greeted with thunderous applause and cheers at a summit of the 27 leaders of the EU and in the European Parliament for his speech in which he insisted that the struggle with Russia was for the freedom of all of Europe.

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Zelensky based his argument on the shared destiny that Ukraine and the EU face in opposing Russia: "A Ukraine that is winning will be a member of the European Union." As long as we "take care of the European way of life," he declared, "Europe will always be, and remain Europe."

Given the enormous task ahead, Zelensky proposed that EU membership negotiations begin later this year. He claimed that doing so would encourage Ukrainian soldiers to defend the nation.

Of course, he continued, "We need it this year." He then turned to face Charles Michel, president of the European Council, and jokingly insisted, "When I say this year, I mean this year. two, zero, and 23

Ursula von der Leyen, president of the EU Commission, countered that "there is no rigid timeline." In reality, attaining membership has frequently taken decades.
After his speech, he raised the EU flag, and the lawmakers stood in solemn silence as the European anthem "Ode to Joy" and the Ukrainian national anthem were played one after the other.

Prior to his speech, Roberta Metsola, president of the European Parliament, urged allies to think about "quickly, as a next step, providing long-range systems" and fighter jets to Ukraine. She stated that the response to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine "must be proportional to the threat, and the threat is existential."

Zelensky was also assured by Metsola that "we have your back. We were there for you then, we are here for you now, and we will be here for however long it takes. The Associated Press obtained a draught of the summit's conclusions, which stated that "the European Union will stand by Ukraine with steadfast support for as long as it takes."

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When Zelensky requested the transfer of Slovakia's MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine while he was in Brussels, Prime Minister Eduard Heger of Slovakia responded, "We will work on." Last year, Slovakia grounded its MiG-29 fleet.
The bloc will give Zelensky "this signal of unity and solidarity, and can show that we will continue to support Ukraine in defending its independence and integrity," according to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Putin, according to military analysts, is hoping that Europe will stop backing Ukraine because it is thought that Russia is getting ready to launch a new offensive.

The majority of the eastern Luhansk region is occupied by Russia, but the Kremlin's forces "have regained the initiative in Ukraine and have begun their next major offensive," according to the Institute for the Study of War's most recent assessment. Russian forces are gradually launching an offensive, but it is neither inevitable nor predetermined to succeed.

Zelensky used the dais of the European Parliament in an attempt to parallel his speech to the British parliament on Wednesday, in which he thanked the country for its unwavering support.

The EU provided the same assistance. The bloc and its member nations have already provided military equipment, financial support to Kyiv in the amount of about 50 billion euros ($53.6 billion), and nine sets of sanctions against the Kremlin.

Before the anniversary of the war, the EU is currently negotiating a new set of sanctions worth about 10 billion euros ($10.7 billion). Additionally, there is still room for exporting more military equipment to Ukraine given that a Russian spring offensive is anticipated.

Russia is closely observing Zelensky's movements. On Wednesday, Russian state television displayed the route taken by the British air force aircraft that Zelensky used to fly to London. The anchor mentioned that the aircraft took off from a Polish air base in Rzeszow, which serves as a major hub for Western arms shipments to Ukraine.

The deputy head of Russia's Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, visited a Siberian arms factory on Thursday and declared that his nation would produce thousands of tanks in response to Western aid.

On a trip abroad, our adversary was pleading for aircraft, missiles, and tanks, Medvedev claimed while touring the Omsk factory. "We will unavoidably increase production of different kinds of weapons and military hardware, such as contemporary tanks. We are discussing the manufacturing and modernization of countless tanks.

Fighting in Ukraine grew more intense on Thursday. According to Kyiv's military intelligence agency, Russian forces have started an offensive in the partially occupied Donetsk and Luhansk regions with the goal of seizing full control of the entire industrial Donbas region. Since 2014, there has been conflict between Ukrainian forces and separatists backed by Moscow.

Andriy Yusov, spokesman for the Main Intelligence Directorate, told Ukrainian television that an escalation was in progress with the main objective being to retake Donbas by the end of March.

According to regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko, the front line in Donetsk widened significantly from the day before, with fierce battles occurring as Moscow's forces drew closer to important Ukrainian-held towns. According to him, a factory, a kindergarten, a hospital, a cultural centre, and apartment buildings were all hit by Russian shelling.

The Russian army's immediate activity in the south, centre, and north of the region has significantly increased, according to Kyrylenko, who also noted that the intensity of the shelling has dramatically increased. "Russia is actively shelling our cities and villages once more with combat aircraft,"

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According to regional governor Serhii Haidai, Russian forces also intensified their attacks in the neighbouring province of Luhansk and launched "a broad offensive."
23 cities and villages in the Kharkiv province of northeastern Ukraine were shelled. About ten apartment buildings were damaged by shelling in the border city of Vovchansk.