BRUSSELS, Feb 6, 2023 (BSS/AFP) - The EU is preparing for a potential
visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksy to Brussels on Thursday to meet
the bloc's leaders and address parliament, officials said Monday.
If it goes ahead -- and the trip has not been confirmed -- the visit would
be the first made by Zelensky to the seat of the EU since Russia invaded his
country almost one year ago.
The Ukrainian leader has so far made one only trip abroad since Moscow
launched its all-out assault on February 24, visiting Washington in December.
A source at the European parliament said there was the "likelihood of an
extraordinary Plenary Session on Thursday, February 9 with the presence of
Volodymyr Zelensky."
The leaders of the 27 EU member states will be in Brussels on Thursday for
a planned summit.
A spokesman for European Council chief Charles Michel, who organises EU
summits, said only that "there is an open invitation to president Zelensky to
visit Brussels".
Officials said there was no final confirmation Zelensky would come and that
his potential arrival was being kept under tight wraps due to security
concerns.
The Ukrainian presidency did not confirm the visit.
Last week, Zelensky met top EU officials in Kyiv to push the bloc to speed
up Ukraine's bid to join.
The EU has committed tens of billions of euros towards helping Ukraine
withstand the Russian onslaught.
Zelensky has warned that Ukrainian forces are facing an increasingly
difficult fight in the east of the country as Russia seeks to claim more
territory in its grinding offensive.